How much Chelsea 'will pay' Mauricio Pochettino after shock exit as FFP fear emerges

Mauricio Pochettino's tenure as Chelsea manager has drawn to a close, with Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly moving past their third permanent manager in two seasons. It comes despite the Blues finishing the season strongly and qualifying for European football.

The Telegraph reports that the ex-Spurs boss is set for a 'significant' compensation package, having left Stamford Bridge less than a year into his two-year contract. Pochettino, 52, was unveiled as the Blues' head coach in May 2023 but was unable to start his role until July due to an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain.

It was previously suggested that Pochettino would be entitled to a package exceeding £10million when he had 18 months left on his contract. Any pay-off this season could potentially impact Chelsea's profit and sustainability (PSR) results for this term.

However, a mutual decision has been reached between the parties, implying that while Pochettino's owed sum may be 'significant', it's likely to be more manageable than if he were dismissed from his post. The Blues have also parted company with Pochettino's coaching staff, including Jesus Perez, Miguel d'Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino, who could be included in a compensation package.

Chelsea's owners have already had to fork out £10million when they dismissed Thomas Tuchel, while Graham Potter was owed £13million after his departure in April 2023. Both coaches also saw members of their teams leave the club, although Bruno Saltor stayed on for several months following Potter's dismissal, reports the Mirror.

Chelsea's co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley have expressed their gratitude to Pochettino following his departure, stating: "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 at any time, and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career."

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Pochettino also shared his thoughts on leaving the club, saying: "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."

After leading Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019, Pochettino concluded his tenure at Chelsea with a string of successes, including five consecutive league victories that secured a spot in next season's Europa Conference League. Despite reaching the Carabao Cup final and losing narrowly to Liverpool, as well as making it to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they were edged out by Manchester City, Pochettino's Chelsea showed promise.

Following Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on the final day, Pochettino admitted uncertainty about his future with the club. He disclosed having dinner with co-owner Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital group on Friday, emphasising that the summer transfer decisions would be directed by sporting directors Winstanley and Stuart.

Chelsea splashed out a whopping £747million on new signings during the 2022-23 season, with more than £400million spent on fresh talent under Pochettino's reign, including starlets such as Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson.