Mauricio Pochettino finally breaks silence following Chelsea exit

"There have been ups and downs."

At the start of the 2023/24 season, Pochettino was appointed as Chelsea manager following a disappointing 2022/23 season in which the Blues lost more games than they won, finishing 12th in the process.

Despite guiding Chelsea to a European return, finishing 6th in the league, Pochettino & Todd Boehly parted ways at the end of the season.

Today, Pochettino took to Instagram to address the fans in an emotional statement: “To the owners, the sporting directors we appreciate the opportunity to return to the Premier League at this great club Chelsea and for the support you gave us, as well as from all the players, staff and fans - thank you.

"We understand how important this football club is to you all and that is why we work so hard to give you a Chelsea you can be proud of."

Pochettino continued: "I am so pleased with the level the team reached and the way the players and staff have all worked so hard to increase their standards, they deserve great credit and I hope you felt that too in how they performed on the pitch.

"We know there have been ups and downs but we always believed in this team and that we would arrive at a consistent level. I believe the experiences of this season and big improvement we saw, I hope (this) will only make the players stronger for the future. It has been a pleasure to work with them all and we appreciate the strong bond we created in this last year together.

"I want to wish all of you the best for next season and beyond.

"It is great that we have the chance to return to Stamford Bridge so soon with Soccer Aid this weekend and I hope that we get to see some of you there too. I hope you all have a great summer.

"Big hug from us. MP x”

Pochettino leaves Chelsea undoubtedly in a better place than when he joined, with the side accumulating the 4th most amount of points in the Premier League in 2024, whilst additionally qualifying for the Europa Conference League.

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