Chelsea’s players were reportedly left stunned by the sacking of Graham Potter, only finding out on Sunday night when the news went public.
Potter was dismissed less than seven months after leaving Brighton to take charge at Stamford Bridge, with a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday the final nail in the coffin.
The English manager had won just 12 of his 31 games in charge of the Blues, with the club knocked out of both domestic cups and in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
But according to the Telegraph, many of the players had no clue their boss would be gone before the weekend was out, with ‘stunned and worried’ players contacting their representatives after discovering the news when the official statement was released at 8pm on Sunday night.
‘On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea,’ a statement from co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali read.
‘We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome.
‘Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season. We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter final ahead.
‘We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high.’
Though Potter’s job was always at risk with results being so poor, players still expected him to be in the dugout for Chelsea’s home game against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
Other reports claim that the decision was made overnight, with Potter informed of the decision at around 3pm on Sunday.
The club have confirmed that Bruno Saltor will be taking interim charge of the team, while Julian Nagelsmann initially being named as the frontrunner for the job.
The German was recently sacked by Bayern Munich and replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who himself was sacked by Chelsea and replaced by Potter last September.
By other reports suggest Nagelsmann is not keen on moving to west London – at least not straight away.
MORE : Chelsea and Todd Boehly have already identified their No.1 target to replace Graham Potter
MORE : Chelsea and Todd Boehly have already identified their No.1 target to replace Graham Potter
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