Graham Potter sacked as Chelsea coach
Graham Potter is out as Chelsea manager after just nine months in charge following a disappointing tenure that has seen the club slip to 11th place in the Premier League.
Potter, 47, left Brighton to replace Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge in September — becoming the first head-coaching hire under owner Todd Boehly. However, despite lavish spending in the January transfer window that included the arrival of record signing Enzo Fernandez, Potter was unable to improve fortunes at the club.
His last game in charge was the 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.
“Chelsea FC has announced that Graham Potter has departed the club,” Chelsea said in a statement.
“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 quarterfinal 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.”
Potter came under criticism after he failed to get the best out of a squad that had been reinforced over two transfer windows as owners Boehly and Clearlake Capital spent more than €600 million ($650.76m) on new players.
Potter had a disastrous time of things since replacing Thomas Tuchel as manager in the early weeks of the season.
Chelsea find themselves down in 11th position in the Premier League, 11 points off Champions League qualification with just 10 games to go.
The Blues’ only hope of qualifying for the Champions League now is by winning the competition this term.
But that will be very difficult as Chelsea play Real Madrid in the quarter-final and then would face Bayern Munich or Man City in the semis.
