Noni Madueke becomes first Chelsea player to address Mauricio Pochettino's shock exit

The first Chelsea player has broken their silence following the exit of Mauricio Pochettino by 'mutual consent' after just one season in charge of the club.

The news of Pochettino's departure was announced by the club on Tuesday evening, as they released the following statement to supporters.

"Sporting Directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: 'On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season. He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career," It read.

"Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino have left the club with Mauricio

"The Club will be making no further comment until such time as a new Head Coach is appointed," The club added.

The Argentine's exit may come as a shock to many, as it appeared the London club was finally heading in the right direction after an extremely mixed season.

Despite wallowing in the bottom half for the majority of the year a late push and the excellent form of Cole Palmer saw them finish inside the top six and secure Europa League football.

Another one of the players who stepped up in the later stages of the campaign is Noni Madueke, who became the first Chelsea star to pay tribute to Pochettino.

Madueke Instagram story- nonzinoo10

The England U21 kept it short and simple with an Instagram story which read: "Thank you".

Madueke made 13 starts across 23 Premier League appearances this season as he really cemented himself as a key member of the squad as the season came to its climax.

The 22-year-old scored five goals and provided two assists in the league, but also grabbed two goals in as many starts in Chelsea's run to the Carabao Cup final.