Ben Chilwell reveals how Chelsea squad reacted to Mauricio Pochettino’s departure
Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell has revealed that the Blues squad were surprised by Mauricio Pochettino's departure from the club at the end of the season.
The west Londoners had a good finish to the league season that saw them win each of their final five outings in the English top fight. The Blues eventually finished sixth in the standings, only five points short of fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Despite having secured European football for next season, the Chelsea management deemed it to be insufficient as they parted ways with Pochettino. Speaking about the Argentine's departure, Chilwell told Sky Sports (via Mirror):
"Yeah, you know it was a surprise. I think with the end of the season and how well the team did, it was definitely a surprise, but you know, good luck to him wherever he goes moving forward."
"And we have got to look forward now as a club. I am not going to look into the speculation of who might come in but whoever does come in I'm sure it will go well and we can push on next season."
Pochettino took charge of Chelsea before the start of the 2023/24 season and remained in charge for 51 matches across competitions. During his stay, Chilwell played a limited role due to an injury-stricken campaign.
The England international made 21 appearances across competitions for the Blues this season, bagging an assist while failing to net a single goal.
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi leading the race to take over as Chelsea boss - Reports
With Mauricio Pochettino's time at Chelsea coming to an end, the race to become the new Blues boss is well and truly underway. Current Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi is said to be ahead of his competitors for the aforementioned job, as per Football London.
The Italian coach has impressed since arriving in England owing to his brave philosophy of playing out from the back. However, the Seagulls finished 11th, certainly a few places below where they would've liked to place at the end of the campaign.
Before the new Chelsea boss is finalised, the aforementioned reports expect De Zerbi to face competition from current Brentford boss Thomas Frank. In the end, the Bees managed to comfortably finish above the drop zone (16), 13 points clear of Luton Town, who occupied 18th spot on the table.