Pochettino set for Premier League stay at Chelsea's arch rivals
Mauricio Pochettino lasted less than eleven months as Chelsea’s head coach, but he has resigned amicably. Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, the club’s co-sporting directors, reviewed the 2023-24 season internally and came to this conclusion.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season”, the club said. “He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge anytime, and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career.”
Meanwhile, Pochettino 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.”
Along with the Argentine, his coaching staff members Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez, and Sebastiano Pochettino all left as well.
What went wrong for Pochettino at Chelsea?
Pochettino succeeded Frank Lampard as Chelsea’s coach last season after the club fired Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter. Thus, it made him their sixth permanent manager in five years.
With the 52-year-old at the helm, the Stamford Bridge side spent almost $507 million on a massive roster revamp. Nonetheless, with all that money going into the club, they still couldn’t make it beyond the domestic cup finals. Even there, they lost to Liverpool and went out to Manchester City in the FA Cup, respectively.
With a 2-1 win against Bournemouth in Pochettino’s last game, the Blues secured sixth place in the Premier League. As a result, they will play in Europe again in the 2024-25 season. They had a rough start to the season, winning only one in their first six Premier League matches.
However, they played much better in the second half of the season. When Chelsea lost 4-2 to Wolves in February, they were in a precarious position in the league. Nevertheless, Pochettino’s squad recovered, winning five of their final six league matches.
Eventually, it was enough to guarantee a spot in Europe, as they lost only once in their subsequent 15 matches. With 63 points at the season’s completion, Chelsea had the most growth in the Premier League this term, up 19 points from the previous year.
Pochettino among candidates for vacant United job
Many were wondering about Pochettino’s future as coach throughout the season, particularly after the loss to Wolves. Nevertheless, he succeeded in developing Chelsea’s youthful, injury-plagued roster into a formidable unit.
Now, with Erik ten Hag’s potential departure from Manchester United raising eyebrows, Pochettino has shown interest in taking over the club. The Argentine boss, according to The Telegraph, might appeal to United’s part-owners, Ineos. He has not yet resolved his career trajectory.
United opted for Ten Hag as their manager two years ago, after considering Pochettino. But motivated by Pochettino’s availability, the Red Devils are considering a managerial shakeup; especially after finishing eighth in the league and suffering an early Champions League elimination.
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