Explained: Why Mauricio Pochettino surprisingly didn't join in Chelsea lap of honour after final day win over Bournemouth

The Argentine has seen questions asked of his future at Stamford Bridge, with more big spending in west London only delivering a sixth-placed finish. That is enough to secure European qualification, with the outcome of the FA Cup final set to determine whether they grace the Europa League or Conference League in 2024-25.

Pochettino remains under contract, but change has been mooted once again. Those rumours were fuelled when the former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss headed down the tunnel with his coaching team while Chelsea players thanked fans for their ongoing support.

Quizzed on why he skipped the customary end of season procession around the pitch, Pochettino said: “Because there was no time, because Thiago Silva [had a goodbye presentation]. And then when the players started [to do the lap], [press officer] Adrian [Phillips] said I needed to go inside. Maybe now I’ll go and give a tour [of the pitch].”

Pressed further on his future, Pochettino added: “I don’t know if that is going to happen or not. I have no idea about that. I can only tell you that on Friday night Todd [Boehly] invited me for a dinner and I think it was a very nice dinner together. But I don’t know about the rumours, about the review or this. Tomorrow my staff are going to fly, unless they decide tonight to stay, they are going to go for holidays. And I’m going to stay a few days more in London. My door is always open and my phone is going to be on.”

Pochettino went on to say that any input in transfer business this summer is a “club decision”, with Chelsea now in a position to start drawing up plans for next season – with the likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Christopher Nkunku suggesting that a bright future can be enjoyed.