Chelsea will not sack Graham Potter just yet and his situation is unchanged despite Saturday’s home defeat to Southampton, i understands.
The Blues have won just nine of his 26 games in charge and only one of those victories has come since the turn of the year. There were reasons for optimism when Potter enjoyed a fast start after replacing Thomas Tuchel, but since mid-October Chelsea have picked up 12 points from a possible 45 in the Premier League.
A 1-0 loss to the league’s managerless basement club left some sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd calling for Potter’s removal, after which he admitted: “I’m sure there will be people out there that think I’m the problem. I don’t think they’re right.”
The squad are now taking two days off before returning to training on Tuesday, when Potter will still be in charge. Mauricio Pochettino is one of the favourites to take over and he was in London last week, along with his family, but that was understood to be for a holiday.
Chelsea’s results in 2023
- Nottingham Forest 1-1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 0-1 Man City
- Man City 4-0 Chelsea
- Fulham 2-1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace
- Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea
- Chelsea 0-0 Fulham
- West Ham 1-1 Chelsea
- Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea
- Chelsea 0-1 Southampton
Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, or even a return for Tuchel, have also been touted as options but Paris Saint-Germain are also believed to be monitoring the pair with current boss Christophe Galtier under pressure.
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i understands Chelsea particularly admire the Arsenal project, which gave Mikel Arteta time to turn their form around – and ultimately transformed them into title contenders.
The Gunners finished eighth during Arteta’s first two seasons in charge, and the Spaniard avoided the sack even during a run of eight Premier League defeats in 12 games between September and December 2020.
The summer of 2021 then included the arrival of players deemed future investments in Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale. The average age of Chelsea’s seven January signings was just over 20, which was no coincidence as the club look to the long term.
Next Chelsea manager odds
- Mauricio Pochettino – 6-5
- Zinedine Zidane – 6-1
- Pep Guardiola – 15-2
- Brendan Rodgers – 9-1
- Diego Simeone – 12-1
- Thomas Tuchel – 14-1
Odds via Betfair and correct on 20 February
It is also worth noting that Boehly has previous when it comes to backing his coaches and reaping the rewards. The LA Dodgers, the MLB team he part-owns, appointed Dave Roberts as manager in 2016 and have stuck with him ever since.
Under his watch, the Dodgers have become one of the best and most consistent teams in the MLB and Boehly stood by him even amid a poor start to the 2018 campaign. In his fifth season in charge, in 2020, Roberts guided the Dodgers to their first World Series triumph for 32 years. Whether Potter is afforded such time remains to be seen, but Boehly would like to emulate that policy again.
Chelsea know that installing a third manager in one season is characteristic of clubs fighting relegation, not supposed “Big Six” members.
Potter is not entirely to blame either, even though many fans are concerned he is falling into the same patterns of his Brighton days with Chelsea failing to score on six separate occasions since the World Cup. That has also called into question some of his decision-making, such as the continuing exile of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has averaged almost one goal every two games during his time in the English top flight.
There is also uncertainty over Mason Mount’s future for the first time, though that is not an issue of Potter’s making as he has been handed Joao Felix on loan until the end of the season.
At least for now, there is enough good will and understanding of the reasons behind Potter’s plight that he is not in danger of losing his job – albeit that patience is being tested by Chelsea’s results.
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