Pochettino: Chelsea was a broken club, and he asked to leave himself

As Michael Carrick's time as Manchester United manager looks set to end, Mauricio Pochettino, whose name is at the top of the list of managerial candidates, spoke about his time at his former club Chelsea. Carrick's team has won only one of ten Premier League matches under his management.

When Pochettino arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2023, he described the club as a broken structure. According to him, the squad included young players who had made their debuts that season, many defeats had been suffered at Stamford Bridge, and morale was negative. He said his aim was to stop the losing, restore belief and give the players the chance to perform. He also had to deal with a bloated, tense dressing room in an environment run by co-owner Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

Toward the end of the season, he recalled, the team won five consecutive league matches and finished sixth. Pochettino said they could have qualified for the Champions League had they had one more month.

He stated that his departure, announced a few days after the end of the season, was entirely his own decision.