Chelsea’s players have been full of praise for departed manager Mauricio Pochettino, who somewhat surprisingly left his position by mutual consent on Tuesday after only 11 months in the job. Pochettino also took Chelsea to the League Cup final, where it lost to Liverpool, and the semifinals of the FA Cup. The majority of the players Chelsea have purchased in the Boehly era have been young and inexperienced, while key senior players – including César Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kanté, Mateo Kovačić and Mason Mount – left before the season started. Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty ImagesDespite Chelsea’s rollercoaster season, Pochettino clearly remained well-liked among the squad, with several players expressing their thanks to the Argentine, as well as surprise at his departure. “Gaffer, thank you for everything you have done for me & making my dreams come true,” Palmer wrote on Instagram.

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Persons: Mauricio Pochettino, Pochettino, Mauricio, Laurence Stewart, Paul Winstanley, “, ” Chelsea, Todd Boehly, César Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kanté, Mateo Kovačić, Mason Mount –, Chelsea's, Henry Nicholls, Nicolas Jackson, ”, Moises Caicedo, ” Cole Palmer, ” Palmer, Marc Cucurella, emojis, Cole Palmer, Justin Setterfield Organizations: CNN, Chelsea, Europa League football, League, Liverpool, FA, Stamford, Argentine, Premier League’s, Mister, Premier League and Europe Locations: AFP, Ecuadorian, Manchester City