On Sunday night, Graham Potter received the news that he had been sacked from his position as Chelsea manager. Despite the disappointment of losing his job, Potter remained professional and even agreed to help the club with arranging his successor in the short-term by allowing his assistant, Bruno, to take interim charge.
Potter was brought to Stamford Bridge in September after the club paid around £25m to extract him from Brighton. However, he failed to get to grips with life in west London and the club felt there was a lack of progress in the last six weeks, with the players failing to take on his methods.
The players were said to be stunned by the club’s decision, as co-owner Todd Boehly had repeatedly stated that Potter would remain at the club. The players were not informed about Potter’s sacking and only became aware of the decision following a club statement on Sunday night.
Chelsea wanted to speak to Potter face-to-face, such is the respect that the club have for him. Despite this, they felt that they had no choice but to let him go. The board feel Potter will go on to become a top coach, possibly elsewhere in the Premier League.
The focus now switches to appointing a new manager, with Chelsea said to be in touch with Julian Nagelsmann. The German, who is of interest to Tottenham, was sacked by Bayern Munich last week.
Potter’s severance package is completely unrelated to the five-year deal he penned in September. Despite this setback, Potter remains a highly respected figure in football and is sure to find success in his next role.