A number of Chelsea stars, including striker Nicolas Jackson and the club’s British-record signing Moises Caicedo, appear to have expressed their discontent at the club parting ways with manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea announced on Tuesday evening that the Argentine manager would be leaving the club by mutual consent after a turbulent 11 months in charge at Stamford Bridge on the heels of a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League.
Pochettino was subject to an internal review in the wake of the season’s end by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, as well as co-controlling owner Behdad Egbhali, with talks on Monday and Tuesday ultimately heralding the 52-year-old’s departure.
The former Tottenham manager had one year left on his contract, and despite an uneven season, the strong end to the campaign – which saw the club go five Premier League outings unbeaten – suggested that Pochettino’s plans were gathering momentum amid greater squad cohesion.
The outgoing head coach had been described by a number of his players are a remarkable man-manager, and in the wake of Tuesday night’s decision, some took to social media to share tributes to Pochettino with an edge.
Nicolas Jackson is one of a number of Chelsea players who have appeared to express upset at Mauricio Pochettino’s exit
The manager mutually parted ways with the club on Tuesday after 11 months in west London
The 52-year-old has helped develop his players under difficult conditions over the last season
Jackson, who moved to Chelsea from Villarreal at the start of the season, took the strongest position, first posting a picture of himself and his former manager simply captioned with two emojis of a man putting his face in his hands.
His second Instagram Story caption read: ‘Love you coach. Wish we could stay together more (hand-over-face emoji).
‘But may God continue to bless you and your family. Thanks for the advices and support, you’re a true lion and a fighter, wish you all the best (heart emoji).’
At times struggling for form – and prone to a hapless record of near-misses – Jackson ended the season with 17 goals across all competitions, surpassing club legend Didier Drogba’s first-season record of 16 in 2004-05.
Jackson appeared to imply that Pochettino’s management had been crucial to attaining his tally, with the coach often weathering support on behalf of his players throughout the season.
At the end of last month, Mail Sport reported that plans to sack Pochettino would run the risk of a dressing room backlash due to their relationship with the manager, who has been a compassionate figure at Cobham.
Jackons expressed his regret that he could not spend longer working under his head coach
The forward also shared a post of Pochettino’s from November, highlighting his attributes
As if to underscore the lost relationship, Jackson reshared a post Pochettino had made on his own Instagram account in November, which featured an image of himself alongside Jackson, Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella.
‘Extremely proud and happy of the players for the attitude and results they have produced in two difficult fixtures this week,’ Pochettino had written following the side’s 4-1 win against Tottenham and 4-4 draw with Manchester City.
‘It is really satisfying to go to an international break with this feeling, although I prefer we have another game more sooner!
‘We want to build something special @Chelsea and this is exactly the way we want the players to perform and feel.
‘Already this season we have had some high and low moments and the players are showing everyone the capacity they have to compete with any side. Thank you everyone for continuing to show such a great support for the team (fist bump emoji).’
Despite often suffering from a lack of clinical edge, Jackson finished the season on 17 goals
Caicedo heralded an exceptional ‘person and coach’ in his Instagram tribute to Pochettino
The Ecuadorian is another player who has improved dramatically throughout the season
Caicedo is another player who appeared to show regret over his club’s decision, and one who has similarly been on a twisting journey in west London on the heels of his blockbuster £115million transfer in August.
After a star-crossed debut at West Ham which saw the midfielder concede the match-winning penalty after coming off the bench, Caicedo has taken time to settle at Stamford Bridge.
But as the season has progressed, Caicedo – who featured in 35 Premier League matches during his debut campaign in blue – has distinguished himself as one of the standouts in the side, and capped a bright finish with an astonishing wonder-goal against Bournemouth on the final day of the season.
Posting a picture of himself shaking Pochettino’s hand, Caicedo wrote: ‘Mister! It was a pleasure (tearful emoji).
‘I wish you all the best for the future! What a person and what a coach (blue heart emoji).’
Mykhailo Mudryk thanked his outgoing manager ‘for everything’ when news broke of his exit
Pochettino is thought to have devoted time to boosting the Ukrainian’s confidence after a difficult start to life in west London
Mark Cucurella, meanwhile, shared three shocked face emojis in his response on social media, while Noni Madueke (right) added an ellipsis to his message
Cucurella appeared shocked by the news, sharing three wide-eyed emojis with the message: ‘Thanks for everything Mister. Good luck in the future (blue heart emoji).
Other players, including Premier League Young Player of the Season Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Mykhailo Mudryk – who Pochettino is thought to have taken time with to build up the winger’s confidence – all shared their own tributes thanking the manager.
One star believed to have been happier with the news is the forgotten man Malang Sarr, who liked the club’s announcement post on Instagram amid time spent training with Chelsea’s youth sides after being deemed surplus to requirements.
Keeping a lid on player discord may be challenging for the club, who are thought to have kept the news from the squad, with one player’s representative saying that his client had been ‘devastated’ by the decision, and finding out at the same time of the rest of the world.
Mail Sport reported on Tuesday evening that Pochettino is believed to have wanted a greater say in signings at the club, and in the players he wanted to keep – both Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher, who have been used heavily this season when available, are thought to have been earmarked for sale by the Chelsea hierarchy.
Pochettino would have had to contend with the likely departure of academy graduates Conor Gallagher (right) and
Despite finishing in the European places, another season without Champions League football and silverware is thought to have told for the Argentine
Missing out on silverware despite reaching the Carabao Cup Final and failing to secure a Champions League place are also thought to have been factors in the club’s split with their head coach.
Chelsea will now look to target a suitable replacement for the Argentina, and are looking for someone ‘young and progressive’ in an overstretched managerial market.
Early candidates thought to be under consideration include Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, who led the side to back-to-back promotions and a Premier League return, Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, and Girona manager Michel.