Cesc Fabegas has expressed his surprise at Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea departure having visited the club’s Cobham training ground just days before the Argentine’s dismissal.
Pochettino’s departure was announced on Tuesday evening following an end of season review with the club’s hierarchy after just one season in the Stamford Bridge hot seat.
The 52-year-old oversaw a mixed campaign and following a poor first half of the season, he started to turn things around after Christmas, and the Blues had a strong second half of the season, which saw them finish with five wins in a row to secure a top six finish and a return to European competition.
Fabregas surprised at Pochettino departure
Whilst the Argentine’s departure wasn’t totally unexpected given there was clearly tension behind the scenes, and he had become increasingly outspoken in his final press conferences, it’s been widely condemned as a poor decision.
The players were clear admirers of the former Tottenham manager, and you can see how much he meant to them by the messages of thanks on social media.
Club legend John Terry said he was “gutted” with the decision, whilst former player Ashley Cole admitted it left him feeling a bit sad.
Fabregas who spent time with Pochettino at the club’s training ground last Friday expressed his surprise at the decision and that he didn’t see it coming.
“I just popped in and he (Pochettino) welcomed me so much, I stayed one and a half hours in his office talking football, obviously talking to some of the people that I know working at the club, so I was seeing some ex-teammates as well, so it was really fun and I really enjoyed it”, he told Planet Premier League.
“To be fair, I didn’t have the feeling that this was going to happen, just looking around and the feel you have around the place, I felt it was nice and easy.
“So yeah, I was surprised about the decision to be fair.”
Chelsea are now pressing ahead in their search for a new manager with Kieran Mckenna the current favourite to land the job, with Enzo Maresca viewed as an alternative.
