Paris Saint-Germain has reached an agreement with head coach Mauricio Pochettino, according to which the Argentine will leave his role before the upcoming season after 18 months at the helm, The Athletic has learned.
Pochettino is believed to have met with PSG’s hierarchy last week to discuss the 2021-22 campaign, during which his team won Ligue 1 but lost to eventual winners Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
It is understandable that the conversation led to a mutual decision that the former PSG captain will not continue in the dugout of the Parc des Princes, with both sides identifying the separation of roads as the most reasonable step.
Given that Pochettino’s contract was due to expire in 2023, his departure has yet to be finalized. But the club is already looking for its new leader; Christophe Galtie from Nice is believed to be among the various options.
Pochettino’s departure will follow that of sporting director Leonardo last week. He was replaced by Luis Campos, who will work as a football adviser to PSG.
Pochetino had a chance to leave the French capital last summer – Real put him at the top of the list of candidates for Zinedine Zidane’s successor, and Tottenham Hotspur showed strong interest in nominating his former manager as a replacement for Jose Mourinho – but a move for the 50-year-old -the old does not materialize.
This was followed by Pochettino, who established himself as only the third boss of PSG to lead them to the semifinals of the European Cup, defeating on the road inspired by Lionel Messi Barcelona and defending champions Bayern Munich.
His wards also lifted the French Cup, and although surprisingly brought to the top of Lille, Pochettino inherited a team that was third when he took over from Thomas Tuchel in January 2021 and improved their match points ratio.
In another case, their Qatari ownership changed coach in the middle of the season – replacing Antoine Combuire with Carlo Ancelotti in December 2011 – this also failed to lead to a triumph in the league.
Giorginio Viinaldum, Ashraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donaruma, Messi and Nuno Mendes were hired at considerable expense to strengthen Pochettino’s team, and they won the French title faster than their counterparts in England, Germany, Italy and Spain.
They did it with the biggest difference and Manchester City were the only winners to score more points, although questions about the style of play remained and supporters expressed their displeasure. Meanwhile, ongoing contacts with potential employers such as Manchester United have become the subject of Pochettino’s tenure.
He stunned City to reach the Champions League semi-finals with Tottenham in 2019, but his PSG was eliminated by them in 2021 and the nature of the collapse against Real in March proved fatal for his future.
Barcelona, Bayern Munch, City and Real secured opposition in 10 of Pochettino’s 14 Champions League matches at PSG, but he eventually suffered the same result as Tuhel, Unai Emery, Laurent Blanc and Ancelotti. Each of this quartet bar Blanc continued to work at an elite level and subsequently collected large European silverware, which shows that there is life outside of PSG.
There have been criticisms of what Pochettino has achieved with the resources at his disposal, but the comparable challenges these predecessors have suggested suggest that PSG’s unique environment may not be the most accurate barometer of coaching skills. He was not helped by the arrival in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, nor by the protests and anger directed at some players and game managers.
The concomitant damage that Pochettino is trying to exceed PSG, as the long-time favorite to secure the post of United missed Eric ten Haag.
Given how close he has come to this vacancy and the attitude in which the former Espanyol and Southampton coach appears to be in the industry, there is a good chance he will continue to fight for leading opportunities ahead.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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