Chelsea are prepared to rival Brighton for the appointment of Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna after reaching an agreement to part company with Mauricio Pochettino by mutual consent on Tuesday.
Pochettino, who led the club to sixth after a strong end to his only season in charge, has left after holding talks with the co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, and the co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali over the course of two days.
It is understood the split is down to a difference of opinion between the Argentinian and Chelsea over strategy. Pochettino, who was hired last summer on a two-year deal, was frustrated in his attempts to be given more power and it was decided it was better to bring an end to the relationship rather than risk the possibility of a major fallout next season.
Although there was support for Pochettino at board level it was not unanimous, with Eghbali understood to have been lukewarm regarding the former Tottenham manager. Chelsea have attempted to work in a “collaborative” way since being bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital two years ago and they will look for a young, progressive coach willing to buy into their way of working.
McKenna, who inspired Ipswich’s astonishing promotion to the Premier League, has emerged as one of the leading contenders. Brighton want the 38-year-old to replace Roberto De Zerbi but Chelsea have been speaking to his representatives for a number of weeks. It is understood Chelsea’s interest has slowed Brighton’s attempts to secure a deal for McKenna.
Other names under consideration include Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Girona’s Míchel, Leicester’s Enzo Maresca and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness. Vincent Kompany has been described as a dark horse despite Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League. There are concerns that Sporting’s Rúben Amorim does not fit the squad’s tactical profile and interest in De Zerbi has cooled.
Stewart and Winstanley said: “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.”
Pochettino said: “Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history. The club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.”
The Argentinian’s backroom staff members – Jesús Pérez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jiménez and Sebastiano Pochettino – have also left.
Chelsea are now looking for their fourth permanent manager in the past two years. It had seemed that Pochettino had ushered in some stability, with his young squad largely behind him and they secured European football after a fine end to the season.
However, Chelsea had concerns over Pochettino’s tactics and before the end-of-season review one well‑placed source privately described his training methods as “antiquated”. Pochettino was not going to be given more control over signings.
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Transfers have been a source of friction. Pochettino wanted more experience in his squad but Chelsea’s preference has been to sign young players, exemplified by the arrivals last summer of Moisés Caicedo, Roméo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson and Lesley Ugochukwu. Those deals form part of more than £1bn spent by the owners since their takeover in May 2022.
Pochettino was also keen to ensure that Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah continue at the club next season, whereas Chelsea are open to offers for the two academy graduates as they seek to stay within profitability and sustainability rules. Homegrown players count as pure profit when sold.
The departure of Pochettino has not gone down well with the players and continues a turbulent period for Chelsea under this ownership. Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September 2022, Graham Potter lasted less than seven months as his successor and two interim managers – Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard – were also employed last season.
Pochettino had brought coherence at the end of his stint, winning his last five matches and drawing with Aston Villa after an FA Cup semi-final defeat and a 5-0 hammering at Arsenal, but he has gone with one year remaining on his contract.
Pochettino’s sudden availability may come into Manchester United’s thinking when they assess whether to continue with Erik ten Hag as their manager. United have considered appointing Pochettino in the past.