SUMMARY
- Mauricio Pochettino leaves Chelsea after just one season with the blues.
- Afterward, several Chelsea players penned emotional farewell messages to the Argentine coach.
Mauricio Pochettino will no longer be associated with Chelsea. The Argentinian manager has decided against continuing his managerial journey at Stamford Bridge beyond the current season. The announcement comes as a major surprise to the soccer world considering how Chelsea has improved their performances and results in recent months. Todd Boehly and other board members at the club now have the task of scouting and appointing another manager at the club to continue their project.
Pochettino is well renowned for his man-management abilities amidst his tactical prowess. The 52-year-old played a key role in developing a young Chelsea squad to compete with the elite teams in England.
Consequently, several players have expressed their disappointment with the manager’s exit. “I love you Coach. I wish we could stay together more. But may God continue to bless you and your family. Thank you for the advice and support.” said Nicolas Jackson.
Moises Caicedo on Instagram and his message to Pochettino. pic.twitter.com/NeePOJxJLH
— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) May 22, 2024
Cole Palmer who had his breakthrough season under Pochettino, wrote, “Gaffer, thank you for everything you have done for me and making my dreams come true. All the best.” Several other Chelsea players took to their social to pay tributes to their manager.
Chelsea fans were left in a state of regret and discontent with the disagreements between Chelsea’s board and Mauricio Pochettino. Despite an inconsistent start to the season, Chelsea had finally picked up pace in 2024 and earned European qualification for next season. The fans of the London club desired to see the former Tottenham coach, entrusted with more control over the transfers to build a dominant squad at Chelsea.
Mauricio Pochettino’s comments about his exit from Chelsea
In the recent weeks, Chelsea fans could sense a state of tension and uncertainty brewing around the club. The former Chelsea boss was vocal in the press conferences about his desire to have a say in the transfer activities of the club. “This is not my team. This is Chelsea’s team.”, were the words of Pochettino in the past weeks which reportedly didn’t go well with the club’s management.
However, having now left Chelsea, Pochettino has cleared the doubts, looking back at his time at the club with a sense of gratitude, “Thank you to Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history”. The English media will inevitably closely follow the upcoming developments in Pochettino’s career as a manager.
🔵👋🏻 Mauricio Pochettino: “Thank you to 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”. pic.twitter.com/8QpfS5oyeZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 21, 2024
Taking into account the experience of Mauricio Pochettino at the top level, several clubs will be interested in capturing his signature as their head coach. According to reports, Bayern Munich and Manchester United are already discussing and evaluating a potential Pochettino appointment. The coming weeks will provide a further definite answer to Pochettino’s future.
A look at Pochettino’s time at Chelsea
Ever since Todd Boehly took over the ownership at Chelsea, the club has been in a phase of transition and revamp. Several changes at all levels have resulted in the performances and trophies both going down drastically. As a result, the burden in front of Pochettino was a huge one when he agreed to take on the managerial duties at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023.
▪️ Eight wins in last 12 league games
▪️ Five straight wins to end the season
▪️ Clinched European footballJust as it looked like things were changing for Chelsea, they let Pochettino go 🧐 pic.twitter.com/0kckshIZwr
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 21, 2024
Chelsea had one of the busiest transfer windows in their history in 2023. Mauricio Pochettino did not only have to impose his style of soccer on the team but also play a key role in integrating the new signings seamlessly at the club. In what was eventually Pochettino’s first and sole season at Chelsea, his team managed to earn 18 victories, nine draws along with eleven defeats in the Premier League finishing sixth in the table.