Why Paris Saint-Germain and Mauricio Pochettino are parting ways

After 18 months in charge, Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly parting ways with Paris Saint-Germain, despite leading the Parisian club to yet another Ligue 1 title win.

It was reported last week that PSG were one meeting away from terminating Pochettino’s contract, which runs till 2023, and The Athletic reported on Sunday that the club had come to an agreement with the Argentine to part ways.

In this 18 months at the club, Pochettino led PSG to a comfortable Ligue 1 title win, with the French club finishing the season 15 points above anyone else. The 50-year-old also led PSG to wins in the Coupe de France, the country’s premier knockout competition, as well as to a victory in Trophée des Champions, the French equivalent of the English FA Cup.

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However, three pieces of silverware in less than two years did not, in the club’s Qatari owners’ eyes, outweigh Pochettino’s failure to win the Champions League, a trophy coveted by the club.

Pochettino, who in the season before last became the second manager in PSG history to take the club to the Champions League final, saw his team knocked out by Real Madrid in the Round of 16 last season.

PSG were 2-0 up on aggregate with only 45 minutes left in the two-legged last-16 fixture, but were undone by the seemingly unstoppable Karim Benzema, who netted a 17-minute hattrick in the second half.

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Elimination from the Champions League was enough to seal Pochettino’s fate, and his exit, according to experts and analysts, had been on the cards for a while now.

So with the Argentine’s departure all but confirmed, the question on everyone’s mind is, “Who will replace him?”

While several media reports suggest that PSG want former Real Madrid manager and French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, The Athletic reports that Nice coach Christopher Galtier is the favourite to replace Pochettino.