Chelsea has finally fired manager Graham Potter from his role after months of speculation. This comes after a series of disappointing performances under his leadership.
Chelsea’s season has devolved into disorder following the firing of Graham Potter and the start of their search for their third manager since being purchased by Todd Boehly and his consortium last summer.
A club statement revealed the sacking, “Chelsea FC has announced that Graham Potter has departed the club. Graham has agreed to collaborate with the Club to facilitate a smooth transition. In his time with the club, Graham has taken us to the quarter final of the Champions League, where we will face Real Madrid. Chelsea would like to thank Graham for all his efforts and contribution and wish him well for the future. “
🚨🚨 BREAKING: Graham Potter has been sacked by Chelsea.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 2, 2023
“Chelsea would like to thank Graham for all his efforts and contribution and wish him well for the future”, club statement announces. pic.twitter.com/NNZpuXTkzp
Why did Chelsea sack Graham Potter?
Potter appeared to have purchased himself some more time after Chelsea advanced to the last eight of the Champions League by defeating Borussia Dortmund last month. Next week, they travel to Real Madrid for the first game of their quarter-final match. Last month’s mini-revival was not viable, and Aston Villa’s 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday cemented Potter’s destiny.
Chelsea dropped to 11th in the Premier League with a negative goal difference after losing to Villa on Saturday. Fans at Stamford Bridge shouted “You don’t know what you’re doing” aimed at Potter.
Potter had been under fire for some time because performances had been poor despite the current owners investing more than £550 million on new players since taking over the club last May. Just two months ago, they broke the British transfer record by signing midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £106.8 million.
Chelsea believes they have done everything possible to back Potter. They signed eight players during a massive January transfer window, even though Potter warned against making too many acquisitions.
When the window closed, he was left with a bloated group and battled to establish a stable starting XI, with injuries playing a role. Finally, the owners were convinced to part ways with the English manager.
Chelsea paid Potter’s £21 million buyout option to free him from Brighton in exchange for a five-year contract. He leaves having won only seven of his 22 league matches and has a win percentage of 39% total, the lowest of any regular Chelsea manager during this century.
What next for Chelsea?
Julian Nagelsmann can be hired after being replaced by Tuchel at Bayern Munich. The 35-year-old German coach is admired by the Chelsea hierarchy. Pochettino is also a possibility. However, Pochettino and Nagelsmaan could both join Tottenham Hotspurs as well following the exit of Antonio Conte last week.
Bruno Saltor, a coach who departed Brighton with Potter to Chelsea, has been announced as the team’s temporary head coach. Chelsea will be hosting Liverpool on Tuesday before facing Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals later this month.
