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Initially, news that Mauricio Pochettino would be leaving Chelsea felt like a shock. But, if we're being honest with ourselves, the Argentine had been laying the foundations for his exit for some time.
The not-so-subtle jibes at sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, the claims that this "wasn't his team", the throwaway comment that his departure would "not be the end of the world" - all of this pointed to a man who simply wasn't happy in his job. And on Tuesday, Chelsea finally put a full stop on this saga, confirming that Pochettino would indeed be moving on.
"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," Pochettino said in a statement.
According to The Telegraph, the reasons for this split are a difference in opinion over the future direction of the team. Essentially, Pochettino wanted more control over proceedings, something that Chelsea weren't willing to give him.
Thus, despite their excellent end to the season, the Blues are now on the lookout for his successor. Nothing has been confirmed yet, with the decision to part with Pochettino only just being rubber stamped, but there have been several names linked with the post already. Below, GOAL runs through some of the top candidates to take over at Stamford Bridge.