Exclusive: Inside story as Pat Nevin opens up on Chelsea sacking

Pat Nevin has been a Chelsea columnist since 2016 and worked for Chelsea TV for the last 12 years, but this season he's yet to come to work after being told by someone from the club that orders from above had asked that he stay away.

He told LondonWorld: "You can tell I'm quite sanguine about it but I would hope more people there will be given a notice before they are sacked. To be honest I haven't worked there for the last six months and it's a job in the media so people come and go. I'm not that bothered but yeah I don't know the real reason. There are no bad feelings from me, you just shrug your shoulders and move on I guess."

There had been reports that Nevin had been invited to the club's Christmas lunch this week but he revealed he wasn't aware of his invitation as normally he goes there to try and raise funds from his duty as the club's columnist and work for Chelsea TV.

"As far as the invite is concerned I'm not aware yet, as of now I don't know, I live in Scotland and I have to do the Arsenal game the next day so I really don't know."

Nevin made 242 appearances for the Blues during his five-year stint in west London, scoring 36 league goals, before moving to Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock, and Motherwell retiring in 2000.

Two months ago he wrote a piece questioning some of the recruitment and striker situation at the club even though he'd not worked for them all season. The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday that Nevin had received messages from higher-ups that his services would no longer be required even though it wasn't entirely clear if the messages came directly from co-owners Todd Boehly, chief executive Chris Jurasek or Clearlake Capital.

Chelsea will hope to put a troubled week behind them when they take on Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend at Stamford Bridge. A promising 4-4 draw with Manchester City before the international break lifted moods at the club, but the crashing 4-1 defeat to Newcastle means the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge where they have won only one league all season is likely to be frosty if Mauricio Pochettino's side don't get going.