Jamie Carragher “could not believe” Chelsea’s latest managerial change and described it as the “biggest shock” of the season.
Last month, the Blues confirmed the departure of Mauricio Pochettino just one year into a two-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
Standard Sport understands the parting of the ways was amicable and that there was no falling out between the Argentine and the hierarchy at the club.
While there was a thinking behind the scenes that Pochettino should have led the club to a higher finishing position than the sixth spot they ultimately secured, a difference in vision between the 52-year-old and decision-makers in SW6 is what proved too vast to overcome.
The former Tottenham manager did endure a turbulent first season back in English football after being sacked by Spurs in 2019 but did manage to lead a young team back into Europe, as well as the Carabao Cup final and an FA Cup semi-final.
Chelsea have since appointed Championship-winning former Leicester boss Enzo Maresca on a five-year contract as Pochettino’s replacement.
The Italian has become the sixth manager under new owners Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano, including temporary appointments.
It is believed that Chelsea’s owners see Maresca in a similar light to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who also learned his trade under Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart proposed Maresca as their first choice for the job, both because of his current abilities and upward trajectory, as well as due to his readiness to work within a structure that will see the head coach focus on improving players rather than having huge input into signings.
Carragher, however, believes allowing Pochettino to go in the first place was a “ridiculous decision”.
“That was probably the biggest shock I’ve had this season,” he told The Metro.
“I could not believe it. It’s a ridiculous decision. But, it’s just another one on the long list of ridiculous decisions Chelsea have made.”
Maresca does not officially start work until July 1 but is expected to provide every Chelsea player with online software to analyse tactical information remotely in an effort to get quickly up to speed for pre-season.
