Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson has expressed his disappointment following the club’s announcement that manager Mauricio Pochettino is leaving Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine, who previously managed Tottenham Hotspur, took the reins at Chelsea last summer and guided them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League. Despite a rocky start, Chelsea lost only one of their final 15 league matches, a defeat to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, finishing five points shy of a Champions League spot.
Jackson, who has thrived under Pochettino’s tutelage during a challenging season, took to Instagram to share a picture with the departing coach, accompanied by two facepalm emojis. His post was part of a series expressing his sentiments about Pochettino’s exit, including well-wishes for the coach’s future.
“Love you coach,” penned the Senegalese striker. “Wish we could stay together more. But may God continue to bless you and your family. Thanks for the advice and support, you’re a true lion and fighter, wish you all the best.”
Additionally, Jackson reposted an Instagram update from Pochettino dating back to November, when Chelsea had just celebrated a 4-1 victory over Tottenham and a thrilling 4-4 draw with Manchester City, with Jackson himself netting four goals across those fixtures.
“Extremely proud and happy of the players for the attitude and results they have produced in two difficult fixtures during this week,” read the caption on Pochettino’s post. “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 @chelseafc 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.”
Jackson’s hat-trick against Spurs and goal against City contributed to his eventual tally of 14 for the season, on top of five assists. Pochettino made a real impact on the former Villarreal star but now a new boss will have to do the same.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season. He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career,” Chelsea’s sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said in a joint statement after Pochettino’s exit.
Pochettino himself expressed his gratitude, stating: “Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club’s history. The Club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.”
