A dressing room source has reportedly leaked the reactions of Chelsea players following the news of Mauricio Pochettino’s departure from the club.
Chelsea and Pochettino mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday evening. The Argentinian manager left one year into his original two-year contract.
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During his tenure, the 52-year-old guided Chelsea to five consecutive wins at the end of the season. As a result, the team finished in sixth place and secured a spot in European football for the upcoming season.
Chelsea is now in search of their third permanent manager since sacking Thomas Tuchel in September 2022.
Several Chelsea players, including Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, and Moises Caicedo, paid tribute to Pochettino. The departing manager also released a short statement on Chelsea’s official website.
According to The Telegraph, WhatsApp groups within the team experienced a frenzy of activity after players learned about Pochettino’s impending departure. Interestingly, despite Pochettino’s non-committal statements in public regarding his future, players received no prior clues about his departure.
A source told the outlet: “The players could not believe it. They had no idea until the news broke and it started going around their WhatsApp groups.
“Most of them really liked Poch, so they were pretty upset.”
While Chelsea struggled for form in the first half of the season – and were thrashed 5-0 at Arsenal in April – there were major signs of progress with a young and inexperienced team in the second half of the campaign.
Pochettino’s coaching helped Cole Palmer to score a career-best 22 goals, while the manager’s methods had also begun to bear fruit for players like Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk as the season drew to a close.
Palmer wrote on Instagram: “Gaffer, thank you for everything you have done for me and making my dreams come true. All the best.” The post was liked by Pochettino’s official account.
