Mauricio Pochettino has left his role as Chelsea manager by mutual consent after less than 11 months in charge despite qualifying for European football next season, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Pochettino’s exit means Chelsea owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, are on the lookout for their fourth manager since taking over at the club in May 2022.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
The 51-year-old, who joined Chelsea on a year two-year deal last summer, has left with the west London club finishing seventh in the Premier League and qualifying for the Europa Conference League, UEFA’s third-tier continental competition.
Chelsea spent around £380 million ($478.26m) on 10 players in the last summer transfer window but struggled with consistency for much of the season.
A young squad coupled with long-term injuries to Christopher Nkunku and club captain Reece James saw them suffer 11 losses in the league.
However, the Argentine’s team began to show promise in the latter stages of the campaign, losing just one of their final 15 league fixtures and winning their last five.
Chelsea also reached the Carabao Cup final, though their defeat to Liverpool in extra time saw them branded “billion-pound bottle-jobs.”
Information from ESPN’s James Olley contributed to this report.
