Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual consent after two days of crucial talks with the club's hierarchy.
The Argentine coach endured a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge, but ended the season on a high, recording five consecutive wins to secure a place in Europe.
However, this was possible after Sunday's 2-1 win over Bournemouth offer no guarantees about its future and did not participate in the usual valuation round.
The club has been reviewing its position over the past two days and on Tuesday evening they confirmed in a short statement that Pochettino had left the club.
“Chelsea FC can confirm that the club and Mauricio Pochettino have mutually agreed to part ways,” the statement said.
'The club will make no further comment until a new head coach has been appointed.'
Pochettino left with a short message of his own: 'Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and the sporting directors for the opportunity to be part of the history of this football club.
“The club is now well positioned to continue to progress in the Premier League and Europe in the coming years.”
Pochettino met with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, as well as co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali, on both Monday and Tuesday.
Stewart and Winstanley said of Pochettino's departure: 'On behalf of everyone at Chelsea we would like to thank Mauricio for his services this season.
“He is welcome at Stamford Bridge at any time and we wish him all the best in his future coaching career.”
Pochettino's long-term coaching staff – Jesus Perez, Miguel d'Agostino, Toni Jimenez and his son Sebastiano Pochettino – have all also left the club.
According to The TelegraphIt is said that there is no 'bad blood' between the former Tottenham boss and Chelsea's decision-makers, but all parties simply felt the time was right to go their separate ways.
Pochettino reached the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup semi-finals, finishing sixth despite a series of injuries and high player turnover.
He only had one year left on his contract, which expires in 2025, and that likely played a role in the decision, while he also likely wanted more control over transfers.
Chelsea are now expected to target a young, forward-thinking coach to take over from Pochettino and have already been linked with Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna.
The 38-year-old is one of the country's most sought-after managers after securing successive promotions while playing sparkling, free-flowing football.
It is believed that Chelsea has already spoken to McKenna's representativesalthough Brighton are also looking to secure his signature as they look to replace Roberto De Zerbi.
The Italian, who was actually brought to the south coast by Winstanley and Stewart when they were still at Brighton, could also be an option to replace Pochettino.
Other names in the frame include Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeness – who guided the side to second place in the Bundesliga – as well as Girona's Michel and Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca.
The new manager will be the sixth to hold the position under Chelsea's Clearlake Capital ownership, with Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor, Frank Lampard and Pochettino all in charge in the past two years.
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