‘We love a challenge!’ - Under fire Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino insists he will not quit Blues

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino says he will “never” quit the club and believes criticism they have been receiving has been unfair.

Supporters have booed off their side in some recent games, and they sit 11th in the Premier League ahead of Monday night’s game with Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

Since Todd Boehly and the Clearlake consortium took over Chelsea, around £1billion has been spent - mostly on young talent like Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. Pochettino is the third manager since Roman Abramovich took over, but the promise of a successful new era has yet to come to fruition.

The west London club finished 12th last season and although they reached the League Cup final, losing to Liverpool last month, they have won just one match out of their last five top flight games, losing twice - including a 4-2 defeat at home to Wolves.

“Ah no, no, no! Why? Never!”, replied Pochettino after he was asked about whether he would ever consider walking away from Chelsea.

“We love a challenge. The challenge is massive and I come here to accept the project and challenge, knowing it is never easy with the pressure and the feeling that you are Chelsea and you need to win.”

Pochettino says while he knows Chelsea fans have been fed constant success over the past two decades, they need to be more patient - describing a young squad which is still in transition.

“It’s true that (the players) are young, but we like to help them. We like to talk, to train, to support. We are supporting them.

“The fans don’t know. The players are so young, playing at Wembley in a final. Maybe they didn’t sleep the night before. Sometimes, to analyse with different parameters and the way that you assess is completely unfair.

“Today it is a different Chelsea. If you are going to judge us, comparing the past of Chelsea, for sure no-one is going to win. No-one is going to succeed. No-one is going to be nice with you.”

There has been speculation Chelsea could make yet another managerial change if there is not a significant improvement, and there have been some chants from supporters calling for a third return for Jose Mourinho.

“The fans are not going to love any more another coach at Chelsea. If you compare with the past, when you are in a different project, people need to understand. I’ve tried to explain. I talk, I move my mouth, but you don’t hear.

“I knew it was going to be tough. I knew we were going to need time and belief. The project is about young players, building a new team.”

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media