Chelsea fans spot what Mykhailo Mudryk did on Instagram amid hunt for Mauricio Pochettino successor

It came as a surprise to most football fans, not just Chelsea fans alone, when Chelsea Football Club announced that first-team manager Mauricio Pochettino would be leaving the club.

Pochettino started his term at Chelsea with a rough patch, experiencing a series of defeats. However, the team's performance improved later in the season. Despite this, it wasn't enough to impress Chelsea's owners.

Chelsea fans have noticed a cryptic social media action by Mykhailo Mudryk that has sparked speculation about the club's next manager.

Following a two-day end-of-season review, club officials reportedly met with Pochettino on Monday. These discussions led to his agreement to leave the club on Tuesday morning.

With Pochettino's departure, Club owners Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly will have appointed their fifth different manager at Stamford Bridge since their takeover in 2022.

Chelsea are reportedly looking for a young manager to continue the work Pochettino started, potentially ruling out a return for Thomas Tuchel or Jose Mourinho.

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has emerged as a potential candidate for the job, after he and Brighton mutually agreed to part ways after two seasons.

Earlier on Tuesday, before Chelsea confirmed Pochettino's departure, Italian journalist Luca Cerchione reported that an unnamed club had paid Brighton a £4.3 million compensation fee to appoint De Zerbi.

The report claimed that "maximum confidentiality" was agreed upon to keep the identity of the club a secret.

However, Chelsea fans have noticed that Chelsea attacker Mudryk, who played under De Zerbi at Shakhtar Donetsk, "liked" a post from the Instagram account "@londonwillalwaysbeblue" reporting the news of a club paying compensation to Brighton.

Fans on social media have been discussing the possibility of De Zerbi's arrival. Some see it as a positive development, while others are less enthusiastic.

On Sunday, De Zerbi himself told BBC Sport that he has no existing agreements to join a new club.

"There isn't any club - no-one offered anything. At the moment, nothing," De Zerbi said.

"I hope to work in the Premier League again. I don't know where or when. But it was an honour to work in the Premier League."