Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual agreement after just one season in charge, the club confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
Sources told ESPN that Pochettino, 52, left following talks over the past 48 hours with co-owner Behdad Eghbali and co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
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Pochettino, who also publicly confirmed that he had dinner with co-owner Todd Boehly on Friday, guided Chelsea to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup semi-finals during his solitary campaign.
Sources insisted that although Pochettino had one year left on his contract, the decision was amicable for both parties.
Stewart and Winstanley said in a club statement: “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 best.” in his future coaching career.”
Pochettino said: “Thank you to Chelsea's ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club's history. The club is now well positioned to continue making progress in the Premier League and Europe in the coming years.”
Pochettino's coaching staff (Jesús Pérez, Miguel d'Agostino, Toni Jiménez and Sebastiano Pochettino) also left the club.
Sources told ESPN there has been a split for some time within the Chelsea hierarchy over whether to persist with Pochettino after a disappointing campaign in which they languished in mid-table despite spending £1 billion ($1 .27 billion) in new players since the Boehly-Clearlake deal. May 2022 capital raising.
Sources told ESPN that Boehly was interested in retaining Pochettino, but Eghbali wanted to replace him with a new coach.
Pochettino's frustration at the current uncertainty over his future had spilled over into his recent press conferences, insisting it “wouldn't be the end of the world” if he left Chelsea.
Sources told ESPN that players held a meeting with families at the stadium in the hours after Sunday's win over Bournemouth and no one there was told that Pochettino would be leaving.
Tuesday's decision comes after the club conducted an end-of-season review. The Blues finished their campaign with five consecutive wins and just one league defeat in 15 games, but frustrations on both sides were already well established.
Sources said Chelsea expected faster progress under Pochettino given the significant investment in players, while the Argentine was concerned about the club's day-to-day running and lack of clarity over future planning.
It is unclear at this stage who Chelsea will target as Pochettino's replacement. Sources have told ESPN that the club will likely look at a younger coaching profile, with Kieran McKenna, who guided Ipswich Town back to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years after back-to-back promotions, a name widely linked.
Roberto De Zerbi is a free agent after leaving Brighton, while Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim has previously attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including West Ham. Sources told ESPN that Amorim, 39, is admired at Stamford Bridge.
Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas insisted this week that Amorim would remain at the Portuguese club next season.
