Gus Poyet knows all about ruthless change and transition at Chelsea.

The Uruguayan starred at Stamford Bridge between 1997 and 2001, helping the club to win the FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and Community Shield during an era where trophies didn’t come easy.  

Poyet become a fan favourite, yet, despite scoring 49 goals in 145 appearances, it didn’t stop the midfielder from being brutally moved in a transitional period at the turn of the century under Claudio Ranieri.

This ruthless change has become even more prominent since a Todd-Boehly led consortium purchased the club in May 2022, with Conor Gallagher, one of last season’s star men, set to follow Mauricio Pochettino out of the door this summer.

Enzo Maresca is now in the hotseat and the former Leicester boss has been heavily backed in the market, with the club spending more than £200m on several players.

Another summer has seen the winds of change sweep over Stamford Bridge, as the Blues look to get back to the big time under Maresca, yet there is much uncertainty over how they will fare.

‘I’m always excited when a new coach arrives at Chelsea,’ Poyet exclusively tells Mail Sport, speaking on behalf of freebets.com. ‘But It’s very difficult to predict what will happen and there is a question mark around them.

‘Not in a negative way, but just a question mark because we don’t know much about them.

‘We don’t know what system they’ll play, what the starting XI will be and there are so many unknowns, but I hope Maresca is the right man.

‘If you ask me now, I don’t have a clue (how they will do) so it’s kind of like everyone is waiting and excited, but waiting because you don’t really know.’ 

Maresca follows in the footsteps of Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Pochettino in stepping in to the dugout in the Boehly-led era, with the failure of that quartet leading to some claiming that coaching Chelsea is the impossible job.

But Poyet believes there is one particular issue that has made judging Chelsea bosses of recent times so difficult.  

‘The thing that we we don’t know is, what are the objectives of the club?’, Poyet adds.

‘Sometimes as coaches, we can put to the players privately what we think our realistic objectives are.

‘But then people outside have different ones. Until Abramovich left, they were expecting to win. The Chelsea fans, they were used to winning so it’s not easy (for the coaches).

‘That is why they need time, but that time gets shorter and shorter because of the expectations, but the expectations are different on the outside because of the history. 

‘It’s important that Maresca starts well and I would love him to have time but I said the same with Potter and I said the same with Pochettino.’ 

Poyet is speaking to Mail Sport during what is a rare break from the game for the 56-year-old, after he left Greece in March following two years in charge.

During his tenure, he oversaw the Euro 2004 winners’ promotion from League C to League B in the Nations League, while they were so close to qualifying for Euro 2024, before they ultimately lost on penalties to Georgia in the play-off final.

Despite the disappointing ending to his time with Greece, Poyet – who won 12 of his 22 games in charge – expressed his pride at what he did in his first national team job.

‘It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it,’ he says. ‘I didn’t have a clue what to expect at the start.

‘But I remember my first week, we had two games away to Romania and Montenegro and it was incredible. 

‘I never had 10 days of intensity like that and I enjoyed the job for so many reasons.  It was very, very intense, but then you could relax and do things that you cannot do at club level.

‘You have time to analyse and decompress the pressure, and you get to know the players in a different way because you’re not with them every day.’

And for Poyet, there were particular things he points too that shows why in his mind he was a success.

‘Before I arrived, the players were playing in front of seven or eight thousand people so the stadium was empty.

‘And when I left two years later, the stadiums were completely full and the connection with the people was terrific.

‘And that’s the best feeling, the feeling of the personal thing, more than the the material thing.

‘The fans, they started, supporting the national team again, and they were getting excited and showing passion and resilience and there was a great togetherness.

‘I gave myself three objectives when I joined. One was the Nations League and going up. The second one was bringing people to the stadium, and the third was the main one of going to the Euros, but because we didn’t score one goal, we didn’t qualify.’

Poyet is well-known to English fans for his time as a player with Chelsea and Tottenham, while he also managed Brighton and Sunderland.

With the Seagulls, Poyet led them to the Championship by winning League One, while he helped to stave of the threat of relegation at Sunderland during a difficult period for the club. 

But since his time at the Stadium of Light ended in March 2015, he’s yet to return to England, but has had roles in Greece, Spain, China, France and Chile. 

After nine years away, another coaching role in England is something that certainly appeals to Poyet.

‘It was difficult for me to understand why I don’t have a chance in England,’ he explains.

‘When I left Sunderland, I went to Greece (with AEK Athens). It was a football decision and I wanted to feel like I was able to win again, like when I was winning in Brighton.

‘But football takes you in different ways and it’s been very difficult. So yes, I was looking to get back in the Premiership or the Championship, but for different reasons that didn’t happen.

‘I was a little bit disappointed with that, but I accept that naturally. Because in football, there is a new generation of coaches, there is a new approach from owners.

‘They change manager for fun, every five months, so there is no progression.

‘We will see in the future as home is still in London for me, so that is not an issue, but then time will tell.’

Poyet has been linked to several jobs since his Greece exit, including the Republic of Ireland, before former Iceland and Jamaica boss Heimir Hallgrimsson took the role.

But for a man who has achieved so much, with experience of coaching more than 400 games in the dugout, what comes next?

‘I want to get back (in to management),’ Poyet says. ‘But I’m not in a hurry.

‘At the start I was like “OK, can I get a national team again?”. Because it was very enjoyable for my character.

‘And then the clubs start calling and for me what is different to other coaches is that I’m a little bit worldwide after working in England, Spain, France, Greece, China and South America.

‘So they call me from anywhere really but I’m trying to be a bit calm and not jump in to a job.

‘I want to make sure my next step is a proper one so I’m a little bit selective but it’s more difficult to find that place for sure.’