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Just six months ago Graham Potter was tipped to be the man to usher in a new, exciting era at Chelsea.
The club’s new ownership group, led by American businessman Todd Boehly, lured Potter away from Brighton with the promise of managing one of the most attractive teams in world football.
Over $600 million was spent on bringing big-name players to the club and Potter, one of the Premier League’s most exciting young managers, had to mold them into a winning machine.
But, on Sunday the club announced that it had sacked its manager due to a poor workload.
The Potters managed to win only 10 out of 28 league matches this season, leaving the team in 11th place in the Premier League table.
In recent weeks, the players had looked a shadow of their former form and many fans had lost faith that Potter’s plans for the club could ever work.
Ultimately, after first being adamant by their manager, the Blues ownership agreed.
“On behalf of everyone at the club, we would like to sincerely thank Graham for his contribution to Chelsea,” club co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement.
“We have the highest respect for Graham as a coach and a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed with this result.”
In his previous role as Brighton manager, Potter was given time to stamp his identity on the team.
The club was punching above its weight financially and as a result, carefully selected new signings who would compliment Potter’s playing style.
This approach paid off as the team became an established Premier League outfit, achieving great success this season – the Seagulls currently sit sixth in the league and occupy a UEFA Conference League qualification spot.
At Chelsea, it seemed quite the opposite.
As was the case under previous owner Roman Abramovich, the club expected immediate results and used its financial weight to sign several high-profile names, including names such as Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudrik.
Despite his impressive CV, Potter had never managed superstars and suddenly found himself in the changing room with many of them.
The scatter gun approach to recruiting led to a lack of balance and organization in the team and Potter failed to adjust to a team loaded with talent.
In fact, many people objected when the inexperienced Potter was chosen as manager to replace Thomas Tuchel at the top level.
Despite falling out of favor with fans towards the end of his tenure, Tuchel led Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021 and is still considered by many to be one of the best coaches in the world.
The German has signed a contract with Bavarian giants Bayern Munich until the 2024/25 season and recently told reporters he needed “a lot of time to distance himself from Chelsea” as he was saddened to leave the club.
Former Liverpool player and current pundit Jamie Carragher wrote, “Todd (Bohli) said he would separate from Roman (Abramovich).” Twitter,
“I feel for Graham Potter, but it was inevitable. You don’t replace Tuchel for Potter. Ridiculous decision to begin with.”
With 10 games left in the league and a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid looming, Chelsea still have a lot to play for.
Assistant coach Bruno Saltore will take over on an interim basis, but Bohli and his team will now have to look for a long-term replacement who is able and willing to navigate the chaos at Chelsea.
Potter’s dismissal is another indication of how temporary managers can be in the top flight of English football, especially when results are not immediate.
There have been a record 12 Premier League dismissals so far this season, with Potter leaving his post on the same day as Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers.
The previous record was 10 manager changes in one season, set in four other campaigns, most recently in 2017/18.
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