Summary:
- Chelsea Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino exits the club after just one season.
- Last July he inked a two-year contract with an additional one-year extension option.
- The club is now looking for a successor, expressing interest in Kieran McKenna, Ruben Amorim, and Vincent Kompany.
Chelsea’s Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has announced he will be leaving the club after spending just one season at Stamford Bridge. The decision was made by mutual consent. The 52-year-old Argentine originally took charge of the Premier League club on July 1, 2023, when he signed a two-year contract with a 12-month expansion option.
Underwhelming Performance
The Head Coach was under pressure after an underwhelming first half of the season, with fans booing him on several occasions throughout the season.
He also showed signs of discontent during press conferences as he was airing concerns regarding player injuries and the composition of the young and inexperienced squad.
The five successive wins toward the end of the season helped Chelsea finish in sixth position.
The club was also the runner-up in the Carabao Cup and made it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
In Pochettino’s view, Chelsea is currently
well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.
The ex-boss took the opportunity to thank the ownership group and all the sporting directors for “the opportunity”.
Sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley expressed gratitude to the club’s sixth permanent Head Coach in five years on behalf of the club.
They added Pochetinno
will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and all the very best in his future coaching career.
The announcement also led to the exit of coaches Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino.
The Search for a Successor Begins
Once again, Chelsea has to look for a new Head Coach. The club has recently shown interest in Ipswich’s manager, Kieran McKenna, as well as Sporting’s Ruben Amorim and Burnley’s Vincent Kompany.
Since they are searching for a young head coach, ex-bosses Jose Mourinho and Thomas Tuchel are missing from the list of potential candidates.
A few of the club’s players took to social media to express their views on the news of the departure.
Top scorer Cole Palmer wrote
Gaffer, thank you for everything you have done for me and making my dreams come true. All the best.
Marc Cucurella bid the former Head Coach “Good luck in the future” followed by similar posts from Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke.
🔵⤵️ Marc Cucurella’s reaction to the news of Mauricio Pochettino leaving Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/cXwTHE8QsK
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 21, 2024