Graham Potter lacked the respect of his Chelsea squad – one of the main factors behind his sacking, according to reports.
Potter was shockingly sacked on Sunday night, less than seven months after joining Chelsea from Brighton, following a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday that leaves the Blues in the bottom half of the table.
Results simply weren’t good enough, with the English manager winning just 12 of his 31 games in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Several factors have been suggested for why the decision was made now for him to go despite Todd Boehly and the board previously planning to support Potter through thick and thin.
One of the most eye-catching is that the 47-year-old did not command the respect of his large group of players, with the huge spending spree in January not helping matters.
After spending more than £600million over the course of the season, Chelsea’s squad was bursting at the seams, with Potter publicly lamenting how difficult it was to effectively work with his players on the training ground.
Equally, the Evening Standard now report that while there was no mutiny against the manager, players were uninspired by Potter and his methods and team selections with several of the older stars frustrated that new recruits were getting picked in spite of form.
Moreover, they had ‘unflattering nicknames’ for their boss, mostly revolving around Harry Potter with more than a few references to Quidditch thrown in for good measure.
The Independent adds that much of the squad – both new and old – simply lacked respect for a man who had never managed at the elite level before.
Perhaps most noteworthy or all, many of Chelseas players had to look up who Potter was having heard little to nothing of him before.
They will have more than likely have heard of Julian Nagelsmann however, with the former Bayern Munich boss the early frontrunner to take over in west London.
The 35-year-old is said to be interested in the job but is in no rush to return to management so soon, with the decision on his future not likely to be made until the summer.
In the meantime, Bruno Saltor will take charge of the team for Tuesday night’s home clash against Liverpool.
MORE : Mauricio Pochettino’s stance on replacing Graham Potter as Chelsea manager
MORE : How ‘worried’ Chelsea players reacted to Graham Potter’s sacking
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