Ben Chilwell, Noni Madueke, Marc Cucurella and Armando Broja have all sent messages of thanks to Graham Potter following his Chelsea sacking.
Potter was dismissed by Chelsea’s hierarchy on Sunday, with the official announcement coming just over 24 hours after their 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa.
The 47-year-old, who replaced Thomas Tuchel in September, lasted just seven months at Stamford Bridge before Chelsea’s board decided to make another managerial change.
It’s understood that Chelsea’s hierarchy had become concerned by Potter’s team selection and tactics, while reports have claimed that the players were also left confused by their manager’s instructions at times.
Chelsea’s fanbase felt the discontent towards Potter was evident by the lack of public support shown by the players on social media following his exit.
But Chilwell became the first player to publicly acknowledge Potter’s exit on Monday evening as he posted a picture of him hugging the former Chelsea manager on Instagram with the words: ‘Thank you gaffer.’
Madueke, who arrived in a £29 million deal from PSV in the January transfer window, was the second Chelsea player to break their silence as his message to Potter read: ‘Will always be grateful to you coach. All the best truly!’
Cucurella, who also played under Potter at Brighton, wrote: ‘Thanks and best of luck in the future, gaffer.’
Meanwhile, Broja, who has been sidelined since December with an ACL injury, wrote: ‘Thank you, gaffer.’
Chelsea are looking to bounce back from Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa when they host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.
Bruno Saltor has been appointed as Chelsea’s interim head coach until the club’s hierarchy appoint a permanent successor to Potter.
It’s understood that Chelsea’s recruitment team plan to interview at least five candidates for the position, including former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, ex-Spain and Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann, who was sacked by Bayern Munich last month.
Speaking ahead of the Liverpool game, Chelsea’s interim head coach Bruno said: ‘I didn’t sleep a lot, it’s a new situation, there’s a lot of things to consider but I will sleep tonight.
‘As you know, it’s not my decision. It’s the club’s decision The club has asked me to step up and to be professional. It happened just yesterday, we need to reflect and think about it. We will work and assess and see.’
Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League and 12 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, who could be overtaken by both Manchester United and Brighton if they win their games in hand.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are eighth in the Premier League and have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League on three occasions this season.
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