Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he hasn't spoken to Todd Boehly in person in months, after claiming he is not the only one on trial as Chelsea’s players must also prove between now and the end of the season why they deserve to stay at this club.
Pochettino was speaking ahead of a trip to Aston Villa in which Chelsea will look to kickstart a winning run to secure some form of European football. Tuesday’s 5-0 battering by Arsenal only intensified talk of the 52-year-old Argentine being replaced this summer.
Yet Pochettino said: ’It looks like only I need to improve, no? It is always, “The coach needs to prove that he deserves to be here next season”. We are all responsible for this situation and we all need to prove that we deserve to be here next season.’
That could also extend to the sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, who have faced criticism as Chelsea will finish another season outside of the top four and without a trophy.
Pochettino has not spoken to the owners as they now communicate through Winstanley and Stewart, though the manager seemed comfortable with the radio silence from the hierarchy.
‘To be honest, in the last few months we didn’t cross,’ Pochettino said. ‘We communicate through the sporting directors. My views and feelings have not changed despite not crossing paths.’
Chelsea’s injury list is now 12 players long with Enzo Fernandez among those who has undergone surgery, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
‘He feels the pain and he feels the limitations because of the problem,’ Pochettino said when asked if Fernandez could have waited until the end of the season to go under the knife.
‘The most important thing is to fix the problem for him. If he cannot perform because of the situation then it is not good for him or the club.’