Pochettino leaves Chelsea by mutual consent after just one season in charge.
Mauricio Pochettino left his position as Chelsea manager by mutual consent, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday, capping the Argentine's tenure at the club after one season, despite a late surge in their fortunes.
Pochettino joined Chelsea ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing interim manager Frank Lampard as new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital sought to improve on the previous season's 12th-place finish.
He signed a two-year contract with the option of extending it for another year, but the 52-year-old has now left the west London club following a turbulent season that included a late rally to finish sixth and secure European football for next season.
They also made it to the League Cup final, losing to Liverpool in extra time at Wembley, and the FA Cup semi-finals, where they were defeated by Manchester City.
"On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season," sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said in a 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, a former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager, took over after Chelsea spent the most money in Europe's close season transfer window last year, spending 400 million pounds on signings.
Boehly and Clearlake had spent more than a billion dollars on players since taking over the club in 2022, with the majority of the money going towards young players signing long-term contracts as they sought to build a team for the future.
Pochettino was Chelsea's third permanent manager under new ownership, succeeding Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, and the players took time to gel as the club struggled to establish a run in the early months, sitting 12th at one point.
But Pochettino turned things around as players returned from injury, and they lost only one of their last 15 games, winning the last five in a row to climb to sixth place and qualify for Europe.
Chelsea have qualified for the Conference League, but will play in the Europa League if Premier League champions Manchester City defeat Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Pochettino was widely expected to leave after one year in charge, but when asked about his future after their final game of the season on Sunday, he remained tight-lipped.
The Argentine declined to comment on 'rumours' of his departure, but did say on Sunday that he had dinner with Boehly.
"Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club's history," Pochettino said on Tuesday.
"The club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come."
SportsLigue