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Death, taxes and Chelsea searching for a new manager.
One of life’s great inevitabilities is upon us again after news emerged Tuesday evening that Mauricio Pochettino has left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent.
The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss becomes the third manager to exit under the Clearlake Capital regime of Todd Boehly, following UEFA Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter out of the door.
Why have Chelsea taken this decision? And what is next for both the six-time English champions and the still highly regarded Argentine tactician?
Have Chelsea sacked Pochettino?
Pochettino departed by mutual consent after meeting with Chelsea’s sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, along with co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali, as part of the club’s end-of-season review that began on Monday. His exit was first reported by Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph.
When Chelsea issued a statement to confirm the news, quotes attributed to both sporting directors and Pochettino backed up reports of an “amicable” split.
"On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season," Stewart and Winstanley said in the statement. "He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career."
Pochettino added in his 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.”
Pochettino, 52, leaves after one season of a two-year contract, meaning he will be entitled to a compensation package.
Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League in the 2023-24 season, securing European football on the final day of the campaign. A 2-1 home win over Bournemouth was a fifth victory in succession and contributed to a marked improvement upon last season’s dismal 12th-placed finish. Pochettino also guided a youthful and expensively overhauled squad to the Carabao Cup final and FA Cup semifinals, where they were beaten by Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively.
Despite finishing with a flourish, the season in its totality can still be viewed as a disappointment for a team with Chelsea’s budget and outlay. There were also concerns over the persistently lengthy injury list on Pochettino’s watch, Law reported.
Where next for Pochettino? Will he land at Bayern Munich or Man United?
Immediately after his Chelsea departure was announced, online chatter sprung up linking Pochettino to the vacancy at Bayern Munich.
Bayern’s head coach situation has long descended into farce after they announced Tuchel would be relieved of his duties at the end of this season before failing in their attempts to convince him to stay.
Their scattergun search has so far elicited rejections from Roger Schmidt, Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralf Rangnick, Oliver Glasner and Tuchel himself, as per Christian Falk of Sport Bild.
Vincent Kompany emerged as a name in the frame Tuesday despite his relegation from the Premier League with Burnley and the lack of any noticeable coherence to Bayern’s operation means an elite coach such as Pochettino falling onto the open market should pique their interest. That is before we consider the prospect of a reunion between Pochettino and Harry Kane after the two thrived together at Tottenham.
Manchester United have previously been linked to Pochettino, although Erik ten Hag remains in his post and the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-led club appears to be more methodical in its approach nowadays than, say… Bayern Munich.
There could also be a coaching vacancy at Barcelona as Xavi’s Tuchelesque tale of leaving and U-turns remains up in the air. Pochettino once said he could never countenance managing Barca as a former player and coach for their city rivals Espanyol and would “rather work on my farm in Argentina.” In a 2020 interview with El Pais, he softened those claims.
“When reporters asked me, I wanted to settle it drastically,” he said. “I dodn;t want to disrespect Barcelona. Maybe now I wouldn’t [say that] because in life you never know what will happen.”
MORE: Will Erik ten Hag be fired by Man United?
Who will replace Pochettino as Chelsea manager?
Falk also reported former Bayern boss Hansi Flick is of interest to Chelsea, although a 59-year-old looking to return to work after hip replacement surgery hardly ticks the “young and progressive” boxes that Law flagged as fundamental to Chelsea.
Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness certainly does meet that description after leading his side to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga above Bayern.
The same can be said of Ipswich Town’s former Manchester United assistant Kieran McKenna, who led his club back to the Premier League via back-to-back promotions.
Brighton & Hove Albion are also reported to be interested in McKenna following the surprise departure of Roberto De Zerbi. The innovative Italian tactician oversaw a superb win at Stamford Bridge last season, although his injury-hit squad struggled as the 2023-24 season progressed.
It would not be a surprise to see him on Chelsea’s radar, even if it would veer close to a form of self-parody after Potter and Winstanley each moved to west London from Brighton, as did big-money signings Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo.
Law also listed Girona’s Michel and Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca as names under consideration. Both have the City Football Group seal of approval, with Michel guiding Girona — who are part-owned by Manchester City’s operating group — to Champions League qualification in LaLiga. Marseca served as an assistant to Pep Guardiola before taking charge of Leicester this season and leading them to the Championship title ahead of McKenna’s Ipswich.
