Mauricio Pochettino leaves Paris St-Germain; Galtier appointed new head coach

Paris St-Germain have confirmed the departure of head coach Mauricio Pochettino after 18 months in charge.

The exit of former Tottenham boss Pochettino, 50, has been expected for almost a month now – but has only just been confirmed.

Former Nice manager Christophe Galtier has been appointed to replace the Argentine on a two-year deal.

Pochettino leaves PSG after guiding them to a record-equalling 10th French title, his first league success as a manager.

A club statement read: “Paris Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club.

“The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them the best for the future.”

The former PSG defender oversaw an unbeaten home record in the league this season, ending the campaign with 16 wins in 19 games.

PSG regained the title but their last-16 Champions League exit – with Lionel Messi in the team – was seen as a major failure.

They squandered a 2-0 aggregate lead in the Champions League against eventual champions Real Madrid to cast a serious question mark over Pochettino’s future.

It was the first time Les Parisiens, who reached the semi-finals in 2021 and were the beaten finalists in 2020, had lost a Champions League away game after leading at half-time since 2001.

Galtier, 55, guided Lille to the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21, before joining Nice, who went on to seal a fifth-place finish under him in the French top flight last season.

Source: norvanreports