Chelsea have confirmed the departure of Mauricio Pochettino. The Blues said Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino have followed Pochettino out of the exit door too.
Pochettino said in a statement: “’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.”
Have Chelsea made the right decision?
The news comes as a surprise given how strongly Chelsea ended the season. The Blues secured an impressive 6th-place finish to seal a place in the Europa League. Chelsea ended up only three points adrift of 5th-place Tottenham Hotspur.
Only Manchester City (51), Arsenal (49) and Liverpool (40) picked up more points than Chelsea (35) in 2024. Pochettino’s men suffered just three league defeats in five months, rise from the bottom-half to the top-six.
Chelsea spent most of the campaign closer to the relegation zone than top-four, but they turned things around. Pochettino finally had the Blues delivering on their potential, taking points off Man City, Man Utd and Tottenham this year.
And in addition to sealing a place in Europe, the Blues reached the League Cup final too. Chelsea had a strong second half to the season after a poor first half, but it wasn’t enough.
Who will replace Pochettino?
Chelsea seek their fifth manager in two years – Graham Potter (2022/23), Thomas Tuchel (2021/22) and Frank Lampard (2019 – 2021, 2023).
According to Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian, Chelsea have Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Girona’s Míchel, Leicester’s Enzo Maresca, Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, Burnley’s Vincent Kompany, Sporting Lisbon’s Rúben Amorim and ex-Brighton manager Roberto Di Zerbi on their shortlist.
McKenna, who won a shock promotion to the Premier League with Ipswich, is the leading contender. Brighton are battling over the 38-year-old too, however, so time will tell who the two sides end up with.
Whoever Chelsea appoint as their new manager will need time to settle. Pochettino took months to get the players on side.
In other news, read how Chelsea had a brilliant end to the season
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