Leeds United see potential rivals next season part ways with manager in shock development

Chelsea have started their search for a new manager after opting to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino following the conclusion of the Premier League season.

The Blues, who Leeds United could be reunited with once more in the top flight should they win promotion on Sunday, finished sixth in the table as Pochettino ended his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge on the back of five straight wins.

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That was enough to see Chelsea claim a spot in Europe for next season, but it wasn't enough quite enough for Pochettino to keep his job after struggling to find consistent form in west London for much of the campaign. As such, Pochettino's time at Chelsea has come to an end after one year and the club will be looking for a new man to lead the club into next season and potentially beyond.

At present, ex-Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi is the early favourite while Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna, who has also been linked with Brighton and Manchester United, is among the reported contenders. Thomas Tuchel, Ruben Amorim and Vincent Kompany are amongst those said to be further down the pecking order.

Following his departure, Pochettino said: "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."

Sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley added: "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 any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career."

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Pochettino joined the club in July 2023, a year on from his PSG exit, and was immediately tasked with trying to bring the best out of a young but expensively-assembled group of players. The Blues struggled for early season form, winning one of their first six, and found themselves languishing in the bottom half of the table over spells of the first half of the season.

They found more success after Christmas, though, and a run of just three defeats in 20 saw them finish above Newcastle United and Manchester United, who could still qualify for Europe, depending on the result of Saturday's FA Cup final.

Leeds narrowly lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round earlier this season with a 90th minute effort from Conor Gallagher handing the Londoners a 3-2 win. However, should the Whites achieve their goal of bouncing back to the top flight at the first time of asking this weekend, they will no doubt be keeping a keen eye on developments at Stamford Bridge.