Tuesday saw the unexpected departure of Chelsea’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino.
John Terry has spoken on Mauricio Pochettino’s exit. (Image: Getty)
The legendary John Terry of Chelsea has attacked club owners in addition to saying he’s “gutted” to see Mauricio Pochettino go. It was confirmed on Tuesday that the Argentinian was leaving by mutual consent, fewer than 48 hours after he had led the Blues to sixth place in the Premier League.
That came after Chelsea secured their spot in Europe for the upcoming season by winning their final five Premier League games. As things stand, the team will join the Europa League, but if Man United defeats Man City in Saturday’s FA Cup final, they will be relegated to the Europa Conference competition.
The choice has drawn harsh criticism from Chelsea supporters, who were only now starting to applaud the team’s advancement after owner Todd Boehly’s extravagant spending. Terry has now highlighted his apparent disappointment on Instagram.
He posted a picture of the now-former manager of his club along with the message, “Gutted to see Pochettino leave.” “I just hope we don’t sign or sell any players until we get a manager in.”
The last sentence seems to be a direct jab at Boehly and company, whose frantic transfer policy has drawn a lot of criticism for adding to the team’s patchy performance. Furthermore, a rumored point of contention between Pochettino and the American was the former Tottenham and PSG player’s lack of influence over transfers.
It was reported that Pochettino was opposed to Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, two academy graduates, possibly being sold. That’s even though the Champions League winners of 2021 had to let go of players this summer to adhere to FFP rules.
Mauricio Pochettino left Chelsea on Tuesday. (Image: Getty)
Terry, 43, is regarded as a legendary figure at Stamford Bridge after serving as captain for 13 of the club’s more than 20 years as a player. He won five Premier League titles during that time and a total of fifteen major honors.
But since he returned to the team last year, his scathing post will undoubtedly be viewed as controversial. In July 2023, following a brief assignment as Dean Smith’s assistant coach at Leicester City, he was appointed coach of Chelsea Academy.
And just a month ago, he asked supporters to exercise patience because the first team roster included several young players who were still developing. He said, “I think everyone’s got to be really patient on this,” to Simon Jordan on Up Front.
I mention this because I’m involved in it; although I’m in the academy, I’m not on the starting squad. Sometimes some of these boys come over to visit, and you get to see them. Though they’re still young, there are some excellent players in that dressing room. To be honest, they are children, not babies.”
Pochettino’s transfer to United is now being discussed, as pressure on Erik ten Hag grows. In the meantime, Boehly is about to name a manager who will serve as his fourth full-time employee since completing his takeover in May 2022.
