Chelsea legend Ashley Cole has told SNTV he felt “sad and disappointed” when he learnt that the English Premier League club had parted ways with head coach Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday after just one season in charge.
The Argentine left Chelsea by mutual consent after a troubled campaign in which they finished sixth - failing to secure qualification for the UEFA Champions League - and were beaten finalists in the English League Cup.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham manager took over last summer after Chelsea’s American owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital had fired Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter in their first year in charge.
Reports in England have claimed the 38-year-old Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is one of the club’s top targets to replace Pochettino after guiding his club to successive promotions to be playing in the English Premier League next season.
The west London club is seeking their fourth permanent manager in the past two years.
Cole played 229 times at left-back for “The Blues”, winning the Premier League, four FA Cups and one UEFA Champions League between 2006 and 2014.