Why Pochettino left Chelsea, and what it reveals about the club

Nothing sums up the frenzied thinking at Chelsea quite like a signing they didn't initially want to make being named their Player of the Year.

Cole Palmer's remarkable rise at Stamford Bridge was one of the few highlights that Mauricio Pochettino can look back on with pride as the manager contemplates his next step in football following Tuesday's departure from the Blues by mutual consent.

Pochettino's reputation for developing young players was one reason he was given the job last summer, and Palmer's progress exceeded all expectations as he ended the campaign with 22 goals and 11 assists from 34 Premier League games, second only to Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.

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Yet sources have told ESPN that Palmer was not in Chelsea's transfer plans until the final few days of the summer window, after two other deals had faltered. The Blues attempted to trigger Michael Olise's £35 million release clause at Crystal Palace in the belief that could be done unilaterally. In fact, the terms meant the player's camp had to inform Palace of his desire to leave and arrange the release from his existing agreement. Amid the confusion, Palace agreed to a new deal with Olise on improved terms and he stayed at Selhurst Park. Sources say Chelsea also pursued a deal for Ajax's Mohammed Kudus, but West Ham United were already far enough advanced in their own negotiations to be able to complete a £38m transfer on Aug. 28.

By that stage, Palmer's disagreement with City boss Pep Guardiola over where he should play his football -- Palmer wanted to go out on loan to aid his development, Guardiola preferred him to stay with the squad or move permanently -- had become known in football's inner circles. Sources have told ESPN that Brighton & Hove Albion were talking to Palmer and City about a deal, while West Ham also expressed an interest. Both clubs believed a deal could be completed for around £25m. In the end, Chelsea offered £42.5m -- only £2.5m of which were performance-related add-ons -- to land Palmer on deadline day, Sept. 1.

Nobody can doubt the success of Palmer's signing, but the methodology reveals a working practice to formulating a squad that Pochettino found difficult. Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have shown great ambition since acquiring the club almost two years ago, committing more than £1 billion on new signings and prioritising the pursuit of some of the world's most promising young talent. The signing of Estevao Willian only this week -- a teenager who won't even join the club until 2025 -- for an initial £29m underlines that commitment hasn't wavered.

But the fact they are now looking for a fourth permanent head coach in two years suggests Chelsea's structure remains problematic, yet to find a manager able to thrive in the environment they have created.

Chelsea learned a few things from their ill-fated preseason tour to the United States in 2022. Then-coach Thomas Tuchel quickly complained about a punishing schedule which took the Blues across every time zone in the States and left them, in his view, badly underprepared for the new Premier League season. A year later, Pochettino was spared the same sort of journey time, with the club staying near the East Coast, but nevertheless they were away for a long time, over two weeks playing five matches.

Sources told ESPN that Pochettino changed the squad's itinerary on more than one occasion at short notice, something which is not entirely uncommon on preseason tours, but still indicative that the demands were different to what he expected. At one point he gave them an extra day off to ease the intensity.

Sources also say Pochettino was consulted on transfer policy but, as one put it, "he was just a voice in the room." The Blues' co-owners, Boehly and Clearlake's Behdad Eghbali, along with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stuart, all have their input while the club has increasingly shifted towards using analytics to inform its strategy. That data would soon come to Pochettino's aid. There were flashes of promise early on, but the Blues started slowly, their only league win in the opening two months of the season coming at home to newly promoted Luton Town.

Indifferent form followed. A 4-1 win at nine-man Tottenham Hotspur preceded a creditable and hugely entertaining 4-4 draw against Manchester City. Those displays, however, were followed up with a dismal 4-1 defeat at Newcastle United. By the time they lost 2-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers in December, Chelsea were languishing in 10th place.

However sources have told ESPN that, around this time, the view internally of Pochettino was positive. The club possessed data that suggested results were not indicative of the performance level over the first half of the campaign. Sources added there was also a desire to review the medical team at Cobham in light of a disastrous injury list that had robbed Pochettino of many first-team players. One source suggested Pochettino had not even been able to train with his preferred XI for several months into his tenure, again viewed as mitigation for the team's disappointing points total.

But there were differences of opinion elsewhere. Sources have told ESPN that Conor Gallagher's role at the club became an increasingly complex issue. Although Chelsea have repeatedly denied any issues in complying with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) -- pointing out around £400m brought in through player exits to partially offset the £1bn outlay -- they have very few players who they could transfer for pure profit under PSR regulations to fund future spending.

Gallagher is one of those. The club made little headway in contract negotiations with the 24-year-old, whose transfer was valued at around £50m -- a figure that put off several interested clubs, including Tottenham, during the January window. Yet as Chelsea continued to allow Gallagher to run down his deal, the midfielder became of major importance to Pochettino, one of the few players he could rely on in both availability and consistency of performance. With club captain Reece James regularly sidelined due to injury, Gallagher began to take the armband on a regular basis.