This time last month, Mauricio Pochettino was still Chelsea manager, but after leaving the club recently, he’ll now return for Soccer Aid 2024 this evening.
The Blues parted ways with the Argentine last month, just days after the end of the 2023/24 season.
Enzo Maresca is the new man in charge of Chelsea, with the Italian joining after winning the Championship with Leicester last season.
Chelsea made a poor start to life under Pochettino but ended the campaign in sixth, leaving many people baffled as to why he left.
Despite being a former Tottenham manager, the majority of Chelsea fans were on his side, which means he should get a nice reception tonight.
Why did Pochettino leave Chelsea?
In the end, it was a mutual decision for Chelsea and Pochettino to part ways, with neither party totally happy with their arrangement.
One main issue, as is often the case at big football clubs, was transfers.
As the manager, Pochettino had an idea of exactly the players he wanted to bring in, but unlike at some other clubs, the manager’s say at Chelsea wasn’t final.
Instead, Pochettino was part of a committee that included Todd Boehly, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stuart.
ESPN report that Conor Gallagher’s future became a key issue.
This is because the England international can be sold for pure profit because he’s an academy product.
The club have also failed to agree a new deal with the midfielder, which made a sale seem possible.
However, he emerged as a key player under Pochettino and even captained the side at times.
The ex-Spurs boss didn’t want to sell him, while the board were open to the idea.
Pochettino also felt he wasn’t given enough public support, especially during the second half of the season when things were improving.
The Argentine cut a frustrated figure in press conferences and hinted he would leave.
At the end of the season, there was a meeting, and it was decided that it would be best for both parties if they were to go their separate ways.
In the club’s statement, they said Pochettino would be welcome back at any time, and he’s going to be back this weekend.
Ahead of Soccer Aid, the former Paris Saint-Germain manager has been speaking about his time at Chelsea.
On Instagram, he said: “I am so pleased with the level the team reached and the way the players and staff have all worked so hard to increase their standards, they deserve great credit and I hope you felt that too in how they performed on the pitch.
“We know there have been ups and downs, but we always believed in this team and that we would arrive at a consistent level.
“I believe the experiences of this season and big improvement we saw, I hope will only make the players stronger for the future. It has been a pleasure to work with them all and we appreciate the strong bonds we created in this last year together.
“I want to wish all of you the best for next season and beyond.
“It is great that we have the chance to return to Stamford Bridge so soon with Soccer Aid this weekend, and I hope that we get to see some of you there too.”
News Summary:
- Why Mauricio Pochettino left Chelsea ahead of bizarre Stamford Bridge return at Soccer Aid 2024
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