Mauricio Pochettino leaves Chelsea by mutual consent

Cameron Smith

Updated: 21 May 2024 22:11 BST
3 min read

Mauricio Pochettino has officially left Chelsea by mutual consent after a meeting with the club’s owners.

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Pochettino, 52, was only appointed by the Blues in July 2023, but the west London club have opted to part ways with the former Tottenham Hotspur boss following their sixth place finish in the 2023-24 Premier League season.

The decision comes after a post-season review meeting with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

The Argentine helped the Blues seal European football with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth on the final day of the Premier League season and Chelsea will play in next season’s Europa League if Manchester United lose the FA Cup final to Manchester City on Saturday.

However, his departure was confirmed on Tuesday, 21 May. The aforementioned Stewart and Winstanley told the Chelsea website: "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 himself then added: "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."

Mauricio Pochettino leaves Chelsea

Reports have suggested that the Argentine wanted to have a more vocal say in transfer operations, something Chelsea’s ownership group weren’t keen on.

The west London club spent over €450 million on new signings during the 2023 summer transfer window, but many of their arrivals have been impacted by injury problems during their debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.

© IMAGO - Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea

Romeo Lavia played just 32 minutes of football, while Christopher Nkunku struggled with injury problems too following his move from RB Leipzig.

The Stamford Bridge outfit will reportedly look to appoint a “young and progressive coach” with Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, Girona’s Michel, Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca reportedly on Chelsea’s initial shortlist.

Pochettino won 27 of his 51 games in charge of Chelsea, drawing 10 and losing 14. The Blues picked up the third-most points of any team during the final 15 Premier League matches, but their late season form was not enough to save Pochettino’s job.