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Soccer

Pat Nevin names the Chelsea player with most to gain by Mauricio Pochettino departure

Pat Nevin names the Chelsea player with most to gain by Mauricio Pochettino departureDarren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Raheem Sterling is the likeliest player to benefit from Mauricio Pochettino's departure from Chelsea, says Pat Nevin.

Pochettino parted ways with the club earlier this month after just a single season in charge, and now the Blues are on the lookout for a new manager.

With a new coaching regime usually comes new chances for established players to impress, and former Chelsea winger Nevin believes Sterling is probably in the best position to do so.

Sterling actually made 43 appearances for the Blues in 2023-24, but he was not a locked-in starter under Pochettino. With a new boss set to take over, Nevin says Sterling is the headliner among several players who could benefit from the change.

"You can’t tell who would be relieved with Poch gone," Nevin told Spin Genie. "If Poch had everyone fit for the whole of the season, I’d be able to give you six names on the top of my head because they weren’t starting every week. 

"A player like Raheem would feel as though he wasn’t a major player for Pochettino lately but he won’t be too upset because that’s not his personality. It will only be players sent out on loan that will now think, ‘Good, I’ve got an excellent chance of being part of the team next season’.”

"Footballers are selfish and they have to be successful, that’s the deal. It’s the opposite of my personality generally but it’s also human nature and needed in football."

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