Frank Lampard in Disbelief Over Pochettino’s Chelsea Departure, Says Robbie Fowler

Former Tottenham Boss Leaves Chelsea After Just One Season, Despite Successful Run

Frank Lampard, a Chelsea legend, was taken aback by Mauricio Pochettino’s sudden departure from Stamford Bridge, according to Robbie Fowler.

Earlier this week, Chelsea surprised everyone by announcing that Pochettino, the former Tottenham manager, would be leaving after just one year, even though he had significantly improved the team’s performance. In the second half of the season, Pochettino led Chelsea to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League and guided them to the Carabao Cup final and FA Cup semi-finals.

The decision about Pochettino’s future was made during an end-of-season review with co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, along with co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

Fans were shocked by the news, as many had expected Pochettino to stay after steering Chelsea back into European competitions with a five-match winning streak at the end of a dramatic season.

The announcement also surprised club legends. Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler shared Lampard’s reaction when the news broke during a League Managers’ Association (LMA) event they both attended.

“I was sitting next to Frank Lampard at the League Managers’ Association awards dinner on Tuesday night when the news broke that Poch had been sacked. Frank looked utterly shocked,” Fowler wrote in a column for the Daily Mirror. “He wasn’t the only one surprised.”

Chelsea is now rushing to find a new manager, with former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi emerging as a top candidate. Sources say De Zerbi is on a shortlist with three others: Kieran McKenna, who achieved back-to-back promotions with Ipswich; Enzo Maresca, who won the Championship with Leicester; and Thomas Frank, Brentford’s long-serving manager.

De Zerbi is interested in the position and is looking to return to management quickly after leaving Brighton at the end of the season. However, Chelsea would need to pay Brighton around £5 million in compensation if they choose him.

Chelsea might also face competition from Manchester United and Brighton for McKenna. Meanwhile, Pochettino has been linked with Manchester United if Erik ten Hag is dismissed, even though ten Hag recently won the FA Cup against Manchester City.

As for Lampard, there are rumors connecting him to the manager position at Burnley, who have been relegated and are about to lose their manager, Vincent Kompany, to Bayern Munich.