Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual consent after less than a year in charge of the club. The Argentine met with owner Todd Boehly for a meal on Friday, but refused to reveal what was discussed.
Pochettino was always scheduled to have an end-of-season review to assess his first year. Chelsea’s decision to part ways with the 52-year-old Argentine comes following the conclusion of an internal review into the club’s 2023-24 season performance led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
In a Chelsea statement, Winstanley and Stewart said of the decision: “On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season. He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career.”
Pochettino has said of his exit: “Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history. The Club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.”
Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history.
Mauricio Pochettino
The 52-year-old guided Chelsea to sixth place in the Premier League and thus securing a spot in the European football, having led the Blues to the Carabao Cup final and FA Cup semi-final. He was in charge for 51 Chelsea games last season, winning 26 of them and totting up a 50.90% win ratio.
Pochettino became Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter last season, which led to Frank Lampard taking charge on a temporary basis.
Chelsea endured a difficult start to the campaign under Pochettino — winning just one of their opening six Premier League matches — but endured a sharp upturn in form in the closing months of the campaign.
Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, Leicester’s Enzo Maresca, Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Girona head coach Michel are among the list of possible replacements, which also includes Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
Pochettino is due to manage the World XI at Soccer Aid for the second year running in early June, with the charity match taking place at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge home.