Pochettino leaves Chelsea after one season

Mauricio Pochettino will leave Chelsea by mutual consent after one season in charge, the club announced on Tuesday.

Despite a poor start to the season, Pochettino led Chelsea to a sixth-place finish, confirming a European place – an improvement on their 12th-place finish in 2022-23.

He also led them to the EFL Cup final and the semi-final of the FA Cup.

Only four teams – Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle – had a better xG figure than Chelsea (75.3) in the Premier League in 2023-24, while only three – Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal – had more shots on target than Chelsea (215).

Speculation surrounded Pochettino’s position during the latter stages of the Premier League campaign, though he remained tight-lipped about his future.

The Argentinian had one year left on his contract but now leaves the club with immediate effect.

Club statement: Mauricio Pochettino

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 21, 2024

In a club statement, Pochettino said: “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.”

Sporting Directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “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.”