Mauricio Pochettino LEAVES Chelsea despite promising end to season as Blues line up four potential new bosses
CHELSEA boss Mauricio Pochettino has left the club after 11 months in charge.
The Argentine has left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent after leading the Blues to a sixth place Premier League finish this season.
It’s been reported that Pochettino has been let go after an internal review conducted by co-sporting director’s Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
The pair are said to have been reviewing the 2023/24 season performance and came to the conclusion that Pochettino’s time in West London had to come to an end.
The sporting director duo thanked Pochettino for his time in a club statement.
It read: “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.”
While Pochettino himself also commented on his time with the club, adding: “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.”
Chelsea earned themselves a spot in in the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup semi-finals this season, ultimately winning neither.
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Pochettino’s Chelsea record
MAURICIO POCHETTINO had just started to turn Chelsea around.
An impressive run of end-of-season form saw the Blues leapfrog the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle to finish sixth in the Premier League – and earn a Europa League spot.
But it wasn’t enough to keep him in a job as it was announced on Tuesday evening that the Argentine had left.
Here are all Pochettino’s Stamford Bridge stats:
Premier League – 6th
FA Cup – Semi-finals (lost to Man City)
Carabao Cup – Runners-up (Lost to Liverpool)
Total record:
Games 51
Wins 26
Draws 11
Defeats 14
Goals for 103
Goals against 74
During Pochettino’s short stint with the club he was backed to the tune of around £400m in transfer fees.
And despite a turbulent start to the season, he leaves the club having lost just one of his last 15 Premier League games in charge.
Pochettino becomes the third permanent coach to lose his job as Chelsea boss since the Blues began their new ownership era under the control of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Boehly’s reign has seen over £1BILLION spent on new signings alone – he took over in May 2022.
Chelsea also announced that Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino – Poch’s coaching staff – have also left the club.
The club confirmed they will be making no further comment until a new manager has been appointed.
It’s believed that Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, Girona’s Michel, Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Leicester’s Enzo Maresca are among the candidates to potentially be considered.
Who could be the next Chelsea manager?
HERE are the seven names in the running to replace Mauricio Pochettino after his shock exit from Chelsea.
Roberto De Zerbi
The Italian left Brighton at the end of the season after a year and a half in charge. He was linked with a host of top jobs earlier in the campaign but a difficult run of results saw him fall out of contention for the likes of Liverpool. De Zerbi’s attacking, front-foot style would be popular at Stamford Bridge.
Kieran McKenna
The former Manchester United assistant has led Ipswich to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League. That has seen his stock shoot through the roof and he may be tempted to jump ship for a big job.
Enzo Maresca
Maresca was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City and has worked wonders at Leicester, settling the ship to send the Foxes back to the Premier League at the first attempt. Appointing a Pep disciple has turned Arsenal into title contenders, so it could work for Chelsea too.
Hansi Flick
Flick was one of football’s most in-demand managers after winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich. But it all went wrong in his next role becoming the first manager ever to be sacked by Germany. Now he’s ready to return and could be a smart move for the Blues
Sebastian Hoeness
Chelsea fans may not have heard of him, but Hoeness is Germany’s next big thing. Hoeness has transformed Stuttgart from relegation candidates to the second best team in the Bundesliga, finishing above Bayern Munich. Only invincible Bayer Leverkusen got in the way of a miracle.
Michel
Michel Sanchez has worked wonders with little Girona in Spain. The minnows were right in the LaLiga title race at Christmas before watching Real Madrid shoot into the distance. But they ran illustrious Catalan neighbours Barcelona all the way for second and are guaranteed a spot on the Champions League. Reports in Spain say that has caught Chelsea’s attention.
Jose Mourinho
Still adored by fans at Stamford Bridge, who never warmed to former Spurs boss Pochettino, Mourinho would be a popular pick. Winner of three Premier League with the Blues across two topsy-turvy spells, could he be the man to take Chelsea back to the top?