Mauricio Pochettino has officially left Chelsea, as confirmed by the club in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
The Blues appointed the former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager in the summer of 2023 as part of their efforts to solidify their rebuild of the team.
Pochettino started well, winning the Premier League summer series in the United States of America despite suffering key injuries.
He would start well in the league and then oversee a drop-off in performances until the last two months of the 2023/24 season.
The team’s performance greatly improved and they clawed their way from 13th place to finish in sixth place to earn a spot in Europe for the 2024/25 season. Apparently, this was not enough as the club and the Argentine manager agreed to part ways on Tuesday.
Chelsea’s statement to that effect reads thus: “Chelsea FC can confirm that the Club and Mauricio Pochettino have mutually agreed to part ways.”
Sporting Directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: ”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.”
Mauricio Pochettino said: ”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.”
Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino have left the club with Mauricio. The Club will be making no further comment until such time as a new Head Coach is appointed.
Speculation over his future has begun, with many media outlets claiming that he is on his way to Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians have had a hard time finding a replacement for Thomas Tuchel, whose departure they announced weeks before the end of the German Bundesliga season. Five different coaches have rejected the team, including Tuchel himself, and they are entering panic mode.
With Pochettino now a free agent, many are of the opinion that he will be heading for Bayern Munich in the summer to continue his coaching career.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are considering a couple of managers to replace the departing Argentine tactician. However, they have stated that they will make no further comments on the issue until they appoint a new manager.
