Former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino says he is “so pleased with the level the team reached” following his departure from the club after one season.
The 52-year-old took charge of the Blues on 1 July but a poor run of results in the first half of the campaign contributed to him leaving by mutual consent last month.
Pochettino has been replaced at Chelsea by Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca, who has signed a five-year contract with the option of an extra year.
Writing on Instagram,, external Pochettino said: “We know there have been ups and downs but we always believed in this team and that we would arrive at a consistent level.”
Following a disappointing start to the season, Chelsea were runners-up in the Carabao Cup, reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and finished sixth in the Premier League after winning their final five games of the season.
Pochettino said he and his staff understood how important the club was to fans and that is why they had worked “so hard” to give them “a Chelsea you can be proud of”.
The Argentine also said effort had been put in to “increase [the team’s] standards”, adding: “They deserve great credit and I hope you felt that too in how they performed on the pitch.”
He continued: “I believe the experiences of this season and big improvement we saw, I hope will only make the players stronger for the future.”
Pochettino said he will return to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the annual Soccer Aid celebrity charity match, where he will manage a World XI against England.