Conor Gallagher was sad when Chelsea parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino, both for himself and for the outgoing manager.
Pochettino took over at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2023-24 season, leading Chelsea to sixth place. It wasn't enough to keep him around, though, with the Argentine leaving by mutual consent just days after the final game as owner Todd Boehly rang the changes once more.
Gallagher was a regular fixture in the side under Pochettino, wearing the captain's armband on more than one occasion. He missed just one league game, while a return of five goals and seven assists helped him cement a place in England's Euro 2024 squad.
Chelsea have already found their replacement for Pochettino, with former Leicester boss Enzo Maresca taking over. When asked about the last manager, though, Gallagher didn't hide his feelings.
“Of course, he has done so much for me so I was sad,” Gallagher said. “Sad for him and coaching staff but really excited about the new manager coming in and myself and everyone at Chelsea is really excited to work with him.
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“I think I have come a long way this season, I give a lot of credit to Pochettino and what he has done for me, gave me responsibility and trust at Chelsea. That puts me in a better position to be a bigger part of the squad at this tournament and I’ll do as much as I can to help England in the tournament.
“He just showed his belief and trust in me which is all a player wants to be honest. If a manager shows you a bit of love, it makes you play better. Long story short, it gives you confidence and that’s what it gave me so I just build on that. A lot of credit to Pochettino for giving me that opportunity to show Chelsea what I could do in the last season, hopefully, there is still room for improvement.”
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Enzo Maresca will take over from Pochettino for the upcoming season (PA)Pochettino was back at Stamford Bridge within weeks of his exit, taking charge of a World XI at the Soccer Aid charity match for Unicef. Reflecting on his short time in West London, he admitted he was happy to be able to grace the pitch once more.
"To the owners, the sporting directors we appreciate the opportunity to return to the Premier League at this great club Chelsea and for the support you gave us, as well as from all the players, staff and fans - thank you," he wrote on Instagram.
"We understand how important this football club is to you all and that is why we work so hard to give you a Chelsea you can be proud of. I am so pleased with the level the team reached and the way the players and staff have all worked so hard to increase their standards, they deserve great credit and I hope you felt that too in how they performed on the pitch.
"We know there have been ups and downs but we always believed in this team and that we would arrive at a consistent level. I believe the experiences of this season and big improvement we saw, I hope will only make the players stronger for the future. It has been a pleasure to work with them all and we appreciate the strong bonds we created in this last year together."
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