Chelsea icon Pat Nevin believes one current star could feel ‘relieved’ by Mauricio Pochettino’s departure as manager having fallen out of favour under the Argentine.
Pochettino left Chelsea by mutual consent last week after a single season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
The 52-year-old’s exit followed an internal review after Chelsea’s sixth placed finish in the Premier League.
Chelsea missed out on Champions League football next season, despite a late season revival with the Blues ending the campaign with five successive Premier League wins.
Nevin, who made 242 appearances for Chelsea, suggested that Raheem Sterling might not be ‘upset’ by Pochettino’s exit from the club.
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin, left, suggested one player who could be relieved by Maurico Pochettino’s exit
Nevin suggested Raheem Sterling, second left, may not be too upset by Chelsea’s decision
Sterling had been a starter early in Pochettino’s tenure but was largely used as a substitute in the latter stages of the season
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The former winger highlighted how Sterling had not been a major player for Pochettino final weeks of the campaign.
Sterling made 43 appearances in all competitions under Pochettino, but had gone from being a fixture in the starting line-up at the start of the season to a substitute in the latter part.
‘You can’t tell who would be relieved with Poch gone,’ Nevin told Spin Genie.
‘If Poch had everyone fit for the whole of the season, I’d be able to give you six names on the top of my head because they weren’t starting every week.
‘A player like Raheem would feel as though he wasn’t a major player for Pochettino lately but he won’t be too upset because that’s not his personality.
‘It will only be players sent out on loan that will now think, ‘Good I’ve got an excellent chance of being part of the team next season’.”
‘Footballers are selfish and they have to be successful, that’s the deal. It’s the opposite of my personality generally but it’s also human nature and needed in football.’
Sterling, however, was among the players to pay tribute to Pochettino following his Chelsea exit last week.
Sterling had been among the Chelsea players to pay tribute to Pochettino after his departure
‘Thank you for everything coach, good luck for the next chapter,’ Sterling wrote on Instagram.
Pochettino had come to Sterling’s defence in March after the winger was booed by fans during the club’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester.
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Sterling had missed a penalty, failed to finish a one-on-one, and skied a free-kick from 18 yards which led to widespread jeers.
‘The feelings weren’t good for him but we are going to support him. He has an unbelievable CV,’ Pochettino said post-match.
The decision for Pochettino to leave the club left stars in shock, with the players’ WhatsApp group reportedly in meltdown after news of the 52-year-old’s departure was broken in their private chat.
Chelsea are moving towards appointing Leicester boss Enzo Maresca as Pochettino’s successor.
Preliminary talks over appointing the Italian accelerated over the weekend and Chelsea have sought formal permission from the Foxes to hold formal discussions with Maresca with a view to appointing him new boss.
Leicester are due in the region of £10million in compensation should Maresca join Chelsea.