Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual consent, the club has confirmed in an official statement. The Argentine helped the Blues finish sixth in the table, and seemed set to stay after a five match winning run to end the season and finish with the team’s best form all year.
But after hinting that he wasn’t happy with the situation for months when speaking to the media, Pochettino has finally decided to leave after a meeting with the sporting directors of the club.
Mauricio Pochettino leaves Chelsea after only one season
🚨❗️The news of Mauricio Pochettino leaving will not lead to celebrations from the majority of the Chelsea squad, some of whom have branded Pochettino the ‘best’ man-manager they have EVER encountered.
— Chelsea Dodgers (@TheBlueDodger) May 22, 2024
(@kierangill_DM) #CFC pic.twitter.com/heiiLak2KA
The former Tottenham boss was able to guide the Blues into the FA Cup final and the Carabao Cup semifinal. He has also helped guarantee that they will play in Europe next season, in the form of the Europa League or the Conference League depending on the results of the FA Cup.
According to reports, Pochettino was unhappy with the transfer decisions the club was making, especially selling homegrown talents like Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah.
🚨🔵 Chelsea are looking for dynamic manager, several candidates are being discussed internally with owners and directors involved.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 21, 2024
Thomas Frank among names mentioned internally; also Kieran McKenna but still all open.
Seb Hoeneß, highly rated but fully focused on Stuttgart. pic.twitter.com/svbXp3WQgI
And to replace him, the directors want a young manager to take over. Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank, Vincent Kompany, Roberto De Zerbi, Ruben Amorim and Sebastian Hoeness have all been linked with the job.
A new appointment could be made in a matter of days according to David Ornstein, and it will be interesting to see who comes in to replace Pochettino especially given the state the club is in.