The first Chelsea player has spoken out following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino by ‘mutual consent’ after just one season in charge.
The club announced Pochettino’s exit on Tuesday evening, issuing the following statement to their supporters.
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“Sporting Directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: ‘On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season. He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career,” It read.
“Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino have left the club with Mauricio
“The Club will be making no further comment until such time as a new Head Coach is appointed,” The club added.
The Argentine’s departure may surprise many, as it seemed the London club was finally moving in the right direction after a tumultuous season.
Despite spending much of the year in the bottom half of the table, a late surge and the excellent form of Cole Palmer propelled them into the top six, securing Europa League football.
Noni Madueke, another player who stepped up in the latter stages of the campaign, became the first Chelsea star to pay tribute to Pochettino.
The England U21 kept it short & simple with an Instagram story which read: “Thank you”.
Madueke made 13 starts in 23 Premier League appearances this season, solidifying his role as a key member of the squad as the season drew to a close.
The 22-year-old contributed five goals and two assists in the league, and he also scored twice in as many starts during Chelsea’s run to the Carabao Cup final.
