Reece James says he had an ‘amazing relationship’ with Mauricio Pochettino (Getty)
Reece James has sent a message of support to Mauricio Pochettino following his Chelsea exit and says he is ‘sorry’ over his lack of availability this season.
Chelsea announced on Tuesday evening that Pochettino has left by ‘mutual consent’ after just one season at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino was expected to be handed a second season with Chelsea after a strong end to the campaign which saw the team register five consecutive wins in the Premier League.
However, Chelsea’s hierarchy have decided to change manager following an end-of-season review which ultimately ended Pochettino’s reign.
James, meanwhile, started just six games under Pochettino due to a hamstring injury which required surgery in December.
And in his message to Pochettino, the Chelsea captain said he was ‘sorry’ for being sidelined for the majority of the campaign.
James posted on Instagram: ‘Thank you for everything boss.
‘We had an amazing relationship from the moment we met.
‘I never played as much as I would have hoped under you, which I am sorry for but also something I couldn’t control.
‘You believed in me and gave me a huge responsibility when many others doubted me.
‘Also a special mention to the other staff that played a huge role that not many others would see, Jesus Perez, Toni Jimenez, Miguel D’Agostino, Sebastiano Pochettino. Thank you all and good luck in the future!’
Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea after just one season at Stamford Bridge (Getty)
Former Chelsea captain John Terry also made his disappointment clear regarding Pochettino’s exit.
Terry wrote on Instagram on Tuesday: ‘Gutted to see Pochettino leave.
‘I just hope we don’t sign or sell any players until we get a new manager in.’
In an interview last week, Palmer also stressed that Chelsea’s players were fully behind Pochettino.
‘Chelsea are a big club, everyone wants to finish higher than sixth but you have to look at where we were at the start of the season, throughout the season, we’ve been 13th, 12th. Last season obviously was the same,’ Palmer said.
‘So to get back into Europe is a step in the right direction.
‘Big credit to the manager because all the players love the manager and they want to fight for him. We’re just gelling now and everyone can see that.’
More Trending
Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic also said of Pochettino before his exit in an interview with MailOnline: ‘For me, personally, I really believe him and the whole coaching staff because they believed in me and gave me the chance.
‘They supported me a lot and they have a relationship with the players where everyone is important, so that is a good thing for everyone.
‘Sometimes if you have 25 players with the same qualities it is difficult to manage everyone but he does it really well.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Chelsea news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.