Mauricio Pochettino has been sacked as Paris Saint-Germain manager, the club have announced.
Sources told ESPN that the decision was made by the PSG hierarchy last month, and his departure was officially communicated on Tuesday. Pochettino had one year left on his contract.
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“Paris Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club,” PSG said in a statement. “The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them the best for the future.”
The news comes as PSG are about to confirm Christophe Galtier as their new coach. Sources told ESPN that the Ligue 1 champions have reached an agreement with former Nice boss Galtier to replace Pochettino.
According to sources, PSG will pay a fee of around €10 million to Nice and the 55-year-old will sign a two-year contract with an additional year option.
Galtier was the firm favourite of new sporting director Luis Campos, who replaced Leonardo. He led Lille to the 2021 league title ahead of PSG and is keen on the job.
Zinedine Zidane was the priority of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who owns PSG and has been close to Zidane for many years now.
Zidane has been without a club since leaving Madrid in the summer of 2021 but sources have told ESPN that he wants to coach the French national team after Didier Deschamps leaves. So it looks less and less likely that he will be the next PSG boss. Julen Lopetegui, the Sevilla coach, has also been offered while Marcelo Gallardo of River Plate and Sporting’s Ruben Amorim were other names on the shortlist.
After Kylian Mbappe dramatically snubbed Madrid to sign a new three-year-contract with the French champions, PSG have made numerous changes in senior roles.
Sources told ESPN one of the key points in Mbappe’s discussions with PSG centered around Leonardo, with whom he has an uneasy relationship.
In one of the many rounds of talks held with the PSG hierarchy, Mbappe said he was not keen on Leonardo as the club’s sporting director next season and identified transfer guru Campos as an alternative.
Campos was at Monaco when Mbappe burst onto the scene and won the Ligue 1 title in 2017, as well as reaching the Champions League semifinals. The 57-year-old has a reputation for unearthing top talent and securing large transfer fees for hidden gems, with Mbappe one of many notable successes.
Speculation over Pochettino’s future in the French capital has swirled since PSG were eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid in the round of 16, despite holding a 2-0 aggregate lead at half-time of the second leg.
Even PSG’s clinching of their 10th Ligue 1 title last month was marred by a protest from the club’s ultras, who left the game with 15 minutes remaining rather than celebrating with the team’s players.
Pochettino was strongly linked to taking over as manager of Manchester United next season before the Premier League giants opted to appoint Erik Ten Hag from Ajax.
Sources told ESPN that the decision came down to a choice between Ten Hag and Pochettino, with the Argentine’s contract situation at PSG — he is on a deal through the summer of 2023 — playing a part in United ultimately opting for the Dutch coach.
Pochettino was appointed PSG boss in January 2021, following his dismissal from Tottenham at the end of 2019.