Mauricio Pochettino‘s tenure as Chelsea manager ended on Tuesday and the former Tottenham manager is set to receive a bumper compensation package for leaving Stamford Bridge less than a year into his two-year contract.
Pochettino signed a two-year deal with the London club in the summer of 2023, with 12 months remaining on his contract at the time of his departure. It is estimated that Chelsea will need to pay around £10 million in compensation to terminate his contract and that of his backroom team.
However, the Daily Mail reports that Chelsea fears sacking Pochettino could breach the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.
Pochettino, who was announced as head coach in May 2023 but began his duties in July due to an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain, would be entitled to a package exceeding £10 million after his contract was terminated on mutual consent.
Chelsea spent over £400 million recruiting new players in the transfer market under Pochettino, including Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, and Nicolas Jackson and around £747 million during the 2022/23 summer transfer season.
Despite these concerns, the parties reached a mutual agreement, suggesting that while Pochettino’s compensation is significant, it may be less than if he had been outright dismissed.
Alongside Pochettino, Chelsea also parted ways with his coaching team, including Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez, and Sebastiano Pochettino, who may be included in the compensation package.
Chelsea’s owners previously paid £10 million to sack Thomas Tuchel and £13 million to release Graham Potter in April 2023, with most of their staff also leaving, except for Bruno Saltor who stayed for several months post-Potter’s departure.
Following Pochettino’s departure, Blues Sporting Directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley expressed their gratitude to Pochetino for his time at Stamford Bridge.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season. He will always be welcome at Stamford Bridge, and we wish him all the best in his future coaching career.”
Pochettino also thanked Chelsea and the Board for the opportunity to be part of the club’s history.
“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.”
