Mauricio Pochettino improved several Chelsea stars including Cole Palmer (Image: Getty)
Some of the Chelsea squad reportedly learned of Mauricio Pochettino’s exit via their WhatsApp group. As the reactions to their manager’s departure rolled into the channel, the general tone of the messages is claimed to have been ‘sadness’.
Pochettino and Chelsea’s hierarchy mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday. A disagreement on the dynamics of the club’s structure is widely believed to be the key reason behind the Argentine’s decision to move on.
News of Pochettino’s departure broke abruptly on Tuesday evening, with Chelsea soon confirming just after 7pm. According to the BBC, many of the club’s players were unaware of the development until messages were exchanged on their WhatsApp channel.
It is claimed that the 52-year-old was ‘broadly liked’ by the players, even if some had various opinions about him. Stars are understood to have felt that progress was being made under the head coach after a tricky start to the season.
Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual consent (Image: Getty)
Chelsea won each of their last five matches to finish sixth in the Premier League. It was a substantial turnaround given the huge inconsistency in form earlier in the campaign. Pochettino had even faced calls to be sacked after the Blues were beaten by a youthful Liverpool team in February’s Carabao Cup final.
Cole Palmer played a key role in Chelsea’s improvement and was the club’s top scorer with 25 goals across all competitions. The attacker, whose form under Pochettino has earned him a place in England’s provisional squad for Euro 2024, has thanked his former boss.
“Gaffer, thank you for everything you have done for me [and] making my dreams come true. All the best,” Palmer wrote on Instagram.
Other Chelsea stars wrote their own personalised messages alongside images of them with Pochettino. Noni Madueke said: “Thank you.”
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Marc Cucurella, whose move to an inverted full-back position was key in the latter stages of the campaign wrote: “Thank you for everything mister. Good luck in the future.”
Meanwhile, Mykhaylo Mudryk said: “Thank you for everything.”
Pochettino is reported to have had talks with Chelsea’s hierarchy on Monday and Tuesday, culminating in a mutual decision to part ways. In a club statement, the former Tottenham boss said: “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.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1901997/Chelsea-Mauricio-Pochettino-Cole-Palmer