Jamie Carragher slams 'ridiculous' Chelsea decision prior to Enzo Maresca appointment

Jamie Carragher has described Chelsea's decision to part company with Mauricio Pochettino as "ridiculous".

The Argentine left the club by mutual consent just over a fortnight ago after an end-of-season review that left the two parties in disagreement over some key subjects. The review was always looming for Pochettino, with the meeting planned throughout his short reign at Stamford Bridge.

However, many expected Pochettino to continue as Chelsea boss, particularly after a run of five consecutive victories to end his debut season with the club. The Blues achieved a sixth-place finish - a position that is only good enough to see them face a qualifying tie to see if they can reach the Europa Conference League proper.

Carragher, who works for Sky Sports nowadays, has slammed Chelsea's decision to part ways with Pochettino. The former Liverpool vice-captain even said it was the most surprised he had been throughout the season.

"That was probably the biggest shock I've had this season," Carragher said in an interview with the Metro. "I could not believe it. It is a ridiculous decision. But it is just another one on the long list of ridiculous decisions Chelsea have made."

Pochettino spoke publicly about his departure from Chelsea for the first time earlier this week. He said: "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.

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"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 the 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."

Enzo Maresca has been appointed as Chelsea's new head coach with the Italian being Pochettino's direct replacement. football.london understands Maresca was the club's first-choice throughout a thorough process as they searched for the right man to take the Blues forward.