Pochettino Explains Chelsea Exit Was His Decision After Disagreements With Owners

Mauricio Pochettino has said the decision to walk away from Chelsea was made personally after a disagreement with the ownership, despite believing the project was moving forward on the pitch and that the team had laid foundations for future stability.

The Argentine coach left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent close to two years ago, after guiding Chelsea back into European competition and reaching the EFL Cup final in the 2023-24 season, but Pochettino has now clarified that the departure followed differences over the club’s direction.

Across all competitions, Mauricio Pochettino oversaw 51 Chelsea matches, recording 27 wins, 10 draws and 14 defeats. Chelsea climbed from 12th to sixth in the Premier League, secured European qualification, reached the EFL Cup final and also progressed to the FA Cup semi-finals, where the team faced Manchester City.

Mauricio Pochettino now prepares for the World Cup with the United States national team, while Chelsea’s situation has remained unstable. BlueCo, the ownership group, appointed Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior after Pochettino, but both coaches have since left their roles, with Chelsea currently sitting eighth in the Premier League this season.

During Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea tenure, reports described disagreements over squad planning with sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, who were appointed by the owners to manage the new sporting structure. Pochettino wanted more experienced leaders added to a young squad and did not support proposed sales of academy players Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher in the summer of 2024.

Those internal disagreements formed part of a wider discussion about Chelsea’s long-term strategy. Pochettino felt the group was close to becoming competitive at the top level but believed certain priorities, including dressing-room experience and retaining academy talent, were not aligned with the club officials leading the recruitment department and overall project.

Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Mauricio Pochettino explained the gap between expectations and events during the season. "What I understood didn’t happen after. Maybe I was wrong," Pochettino told the show, before outlining how difficult the starting point had been when the staff arrived at Stamford Bridge.

"When we arrived, we needed to understand, the team was 12th in the Premier League. We didn’t play in Europe – no Conference League, no Europa League, no Champions League. It was in the process of all the changes from one ownership to another. [There are] things that you need to put in place, things to prioritise.I’m not complaining because the decision was my decision to leave the club."

Enzo Maresca, who succeeded Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, delivered the UEFA Europa Conference League title and the FIFA Club World Cup before leaving in January following tensions with senior figures. Reports indicated further disagreements within the hierarchy, showing that debate over the football model continued well after Pochettino’s departure from the club.

Inside the ownership group, views on Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea work were also divided. It is understood Todd Boehly supported retaining Pochettino, while fellow co-owner Behdad Eghbali was less convinced. Later reports suggested the club hierarchy ultimately felt Pochettino’s coaching style was too old-school for the longer-term project being built under the current structure.

Reflecting on that period, Pochettino added: "Why I think I am disappointed with internal things is, under our assessment and our vision, it was a normal process to create something solid for the future," before pointing to the late-season surge and the cup runs that defined Chelsea’s improvement under his guidance.

"We finished sixth, winning the last five or six games. We arrived at the final of the EFL Cup, and we played in the semi-final of the FA Cup against Manchester City. In both games we deserved to go through – to win the final and to go through – but because of experience of different things, we didnt win. But we were in a very good way. But when things didnt match what was our vision, we said its better to split; it's better to give the possibility to the club to do what they want."

Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea spell therefore ended with the team improving results and returning to Europe, yet with the coach and the hierarchy unable to agree on how to shape the squad and project, leading Pochettino to choose a departure that allowed the ownership to pursue its preferred direction.