EXCL: Chelsea players sad and surprised by Pochettino exit, young coach next for Blues, plus latest on Spurs transfer plans & major Man City exit

Today's exclusive column taking a closer look at the situation at Chelsea, plus much more...

Chelsea players saddened by Pochettino exit, but it’s not a big surprise

Big news yesterday evening as it was confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino is leaving Chelsea with immediate effect. The story might have come as a bit of a surprise to some, but I must admit I’m not that surprised because the reality is that the situation has been tense for the entire season, with some positive moments and some negative moments. Despite a strong run of form from Chelsea towards the end of the season, the feeling at the club was that not everyone was on the same page and that is why they have decided to part ways with the manager.

There were very honest meetings, with many topics discussed about the past, present and future, and then Chelsea’s owners and Pochettino decided to part ways. I mentioned earlier this week that the situation was still open because of so many different people involved in the decision. It was a complicated decision and the end of the season was very positive for Chelsea, but Pochettino also spoke recently and suggested he wasn’t feeling that confidence from people at the club.

From what I’m hearing, the reaction inside the dressing room is that the players are quite surprised. The feeling was that the end of the season was sending a clear message, and that you could see the results of the entire season together between Pochettino and these players, so many of them were expecting the manager to stay. Many players are sad, some are surprised, but it’s also part of the game when a manager is not staying at the club…I can understand that.

Still, it’s not just about the relationship with the players, there also had to be the right feeling between the manager and other figures at the club.

Who could come in next for Chelsea? Plus thoughts on Pochettino’s next destination amid Man Utd links

As I already reported, in case Chelsea wanted to replace Pochettino, and this is now the case, they would like to go for a young manager. Managers like Thomas Tuchel and Hansi Flick are all attracted by the possibility of going to Chelsea, even without Champions League football, but at the moment I’m not aware of concrete talks with these managers because the information I’m getting is that they want a young coach.