Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual consent after just one season at the helm, the English club announced on Tuesday.
Despite a late-season resurgence, the Blues finished sixth in the Premier League, missing out on Champions League qualification and a trophy.
“Chelsea FC can confirm that the club and Mauricio Pochettino have mutually agreed to part ways,” the club said in a statement.
Under the ownership of an American consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, Chelsea have spent over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on new players in just two years.
Despite this significant investment, Pochettino attributed the team’s inconsistent results to a lack of experience and a lengthy injury list.
The season saw Chelsea fall short in key competitions.
They lost the League Cup final to Liverpool 1-0 after extra time and were narrowly defeated by Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals by the same scoreline.
However, there were glimpses of promise as Pochettino’s side ended the season with five consecutive wins, securing a spot in European competition next season.
Chelsea will qualify for the Europa League if Manchester United loses to City in the FA Cup final and the Conference League if the Red Devils pull off an upset.
“Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history,” said Pochettino.
“The club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.”
Chelsea sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley expressed their appreciation for Pochettino’s efforts.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season.
He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career.”
