Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has left the club by mutual consent after one season at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino, 52, took charge of Chelsea on 1 July, signing a two-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.
The Argentine was under pressure after an underwhelming first half of the season, but a run of five consecutive wins towards the end of the season ensured they finished sixth in the Premier League.
Chelsea were also runners-up in the Carabao Cup and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
“Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity,” said Pochettino.
“The club is now well positioned to continue progressing in the Premier League and Europe in the coming years.”
Chelsea will now look for a successor and have recently expressed interest in Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, Sporting’s Ruben Amorim and Burnley’s Vincent Kompany.
BBC Sport understands that Chelsea are unlikely to opt for Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca, Pep Guardiola’s former assistant manager at Manchester City. The return of former coaches José Mourinho or Thomas Tuchel is not expected, as the club is targeting a young coach.
Pochettino was Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years following the dismissals of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, which led to Frank Lampard taking over temporarily at the end of the 2022-23 season.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season,” said sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
“He will be welcome back at Stamford Bridge at any time and we wish him all the best in his future coaching career.”
Coaches Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino also left.
Friendly exit without fan riot
Pochettino, whose term ended in just under 12 months, is said to have departed on very amicable terms; he felt leaving was the right decision after discussions with senior club officials.
He was seen as the man who turned Chelsea into credible title contenders again after spending £747m on transfers during the 2022-23 campaign.
The Argentine also had a significant budget, with more than £400 million spent on players including Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo and Christopher Nkunku.
Chelsea have spent more than £1 billion on transfers since acquiring Todd Boehly in May 2022, and have been described by Sky Sports pundit and former England defender Gary Neville as “billion pound bottle jobs” after losing the Carabao Cup final against a weakened Liverpool team.
In March, Pochettino, who led Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2018-19, received boos from some sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd, who chanted former manager José Mourinho’s name during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham. Brentford.
He said: “Maybe if I was a fan I would be the same because we’re not living up to expectations.”
He appeared to regain some support after a 6-0 thrashing of Everton in April and a 5-0 win over West Ham in May, although Chelsea lost 5-0 to Arsenal between those two results.
Although there is shock among some fans, Pochettino has been booed on several occasions this season. There will be no mutiny in another management change.
Pochettino has struggled to win over fans, with positive comments about his former club Tottenham, his calm demeanor and mixed results all contributing to an indifferent mood among supporters, with many disliking the Argentine.
Why did this happen?
Nizaar Kinsella, BBC Sport football news reporter
Pochettino’s departure from Chelsea will surprise many, but the situation was at its limit.
Despite finishing the Premier League season on a five-game winning streak, there was huge uncertainty behind the scenes.
President Boehly asked for patience and met the Argentine on Friday, before the last game of the season.
But little was known about the views of other senior board members, including, most notably, co-controller Behdad Eghbali.
In reality, Eghbali is the main decision-maker at Stamford Bridge and will have been a crucial voice at the end-of-season meeting.
He has been in London with fellow Clearlake Capital co-founder and board member José Feliciano since Chelsea won the Women’s Super League on Saturday.
They, along with the two sporting directors Winstanley and Stewart, will have been the loudest voices in the room despite the team and senior staff’s support for Pochettino.
This is of course an end by mutual consent, and signs of Pochettino’s displeasure were evident in the press conferences.
Pochettino has raised concerns about injuries and the composition of his young and inexperienced squad, which has exposed decision-makers to criticism.
Privately, he would be open to continuing depending on the outcome of the post-season meeting, but he also reportedly expressed concerns in the final weeks of his tenure.
‘Thank you for making my dreams come true’ – players react
Several Chelsea players took to social media following the announcement on Tuesday night.
Cole Palmer, who was Chelsea’s top scorer this season, said: “Gaffer, thank you for everything you’ve done for me and for making my dreams come true. All the best.”
Teammate Marc Cucurella said: “Thank you for everything, sir. Good luck in the future.”
Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke were among others who posted thanks to Pochettino on Instagram.
