Graham Potter, who had taken over the managerial position of Chelsea FC from Thomas Tuchel in September 2022, has been sacked after less than seven months in charge.
Chelsea's campaign has become a state of turmoil following the dismissal of Graham Potter, and their pursuit of a new manager marks the search for their third coach since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the club last summer.
Potter, who had taken over the managerial position of Chelsea FC from Thomas Tuchel in September 2022, has been sacked after less than seven months in charge. The sacking comes after a poor season, with Chelsea languishing in 11th place in the Premier League, and being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City.
Potter's sacking also sets the new record for most Premier League managers sacked in a single season currently at 12.
Real Chelsea fans are all with you, pressure makes diamond, Potter you are a Diamond. pic.twitter.com/GeOZXDzgZz
— MusaJidda (@musajidda) April 3, 2023
The club announced:
'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.'
A promising start
Graham Potter is a former footballer who played as a left-back for clubs such as York City, Boston United, and Macclesfield Town. He retired from playing in 2005 and worked as the assistant manager of the England Universities team in 2005 and then worked as the manager of Östersunds FK, a Swedish football club, from 2010 to 2018. This success led to him being appointed as the manager of Swansea City in the English Championship for the 2018/19 season, and then Brighton in the Premier League.
Potter's appointment as Chelsea manager in September 2022 was seen as a major coup for the club. He had impressed in his previous jobs and was seen as a progressive manager who played an attractive style of football.
Despite a slow start to his tenure, Potter did lead Chelsea to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. This was a significant achievement, given that the team had been knocked out of the group stages in the previous season. Unfortunately, this feat alone was not enough to redeem Potter's catastrophic season at London.
Nightmare for the Blues
According to Sporting News, Potter's sacking came after a poor run of results in the Premier League. Chelsea were sitting in 11th place when he was dismissed, having won only 12 of their 31 games, and Potter had also overseen the team's exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester City. This result followed a run of poor performances in the league, which included a defeat to Fulham and a goalless draw with Southampton.
Potter's team had also struggled to score goals, particularly in the Premier League. According to Sky Sports, they had failed to score in five of their last seven league games, which had put pressure on the manager. The lack of goals was particularly worrying given the amount of money Chelsea had spent on attacking players in the previous transfer window, with record-breaking signings such as Enzo Fernandez (£106.8m), Joao Felix (£9.7m loan fee), and Mykhalo Mudryk (£88.5m).
There were also reports of dressing room unrest and a lack of confidence among the players, with only a small number of veteran stars like Thiago Silva favoring Potter's strategy. This had led to speculation that Potter had lost the support of the squad, which ultimately played a role in his dismissal.
In his final press conference Potter admitted his disappointment:
'There were a lot of good things in the game, a lot of attacking play, attacking entries, shots... if you look at the stats of the game, it's a positive performance. But because of the scoreline it's not. We're down in the game and we're really disappointed.'
Record-breaking sacking cost
According to Sportskeeda, Potter's sacking is set to cost Chelsea a significant amount of money. The club had signed him to a five-year contract worth £12 million per year, totaling £60 million. However, with less than seven months into the job, Chelsea will have to buy out the remainder of his contract to terminate his services.
According to the Athletic, the buy-out clause in Potter's contract is reported to be around £21 million, which was paid to Brighton and Hove Albion when he was signed by Chelsea. Additionally, there is the cost of severance pay for Potter and his backroom staff, which could push the total compensation close to £50 million.
However, recent reports from the Mirror suggest that Chelsea may not have to pay the full value of Potter's contract. Instead, a deal has been struck that will see the club pay a regular severance package that is not determined by how long is left on the contract. This could significantly reduce the amount of compensation that Chelsea will have to pay.
Potential replacements
With the sacking of Graham Potter, the search for a new Chelsea manager has begun.
Reports from the Guardian suggest that Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino are among the frontrunners to take over at Chelsea. Both managers have impressive records, with Nagelsmann leading RB Leipzig to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2020, while Pochettino led Tottenham to the final of the same competition in 2019.
Another name that has been mentioned is Brendan Rodgers, who has worked wonders at Leicester City in recent years but was also sacked lately. Rodgers has a wealth of experience in the Premier League, having also managed Liverpool and Swansea City. Other names linked with the job include Diego Simeone, Massimiliano Allegri, and Antonio Conte.
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