Graham Potter - Chelsea's failed gamble

During 19 years of owning Chelsea, from 2003 to 2022, Roman Abramovich was known for his ruthlessness when changing coaches. But the Russian billionaire has never fired two leaders in the same season - something new boss Todd Boehly has just done. Graham Potter has just been laid off just seven months after coming to Stamford Bridge to replace Thomas Tuchel - his predecessor left in September 2022 after just seven games of the season.

A large number of Chelsea fans were happy to receive the above information, because they could not accept that the home team played badly and dropped to the bottom half of the Premier League. But the fact that Potter was fired before the first year of the five-year contract had also meant that the new owners tacitly admitted they were failing on an operational level. And those who have criticized Boehly for working as impromptu as playing video games more than in real life... have all the more reason to be disgruntled.

No one can doubt Boehly and his investors about their ambitions with Chelsea, when they spent about $ 680 million to upgrade the squad in the last two transfer windows, with most of them promising young players. delivered under a long-term contract. "But when it was decided to fire a world-class coach like Thomas Tuchel at the beginning of the season, the American owners should not have made even one wrong move," The Athletic commented.

Chelsea spent up to $ 28 million Brighton to redeem Potter's contract, and paid this coach approximately $ 15 million salary per season, but what he received was not commensurate. Initially, Chelsea owners were impressed by Potter's rise to the top, starting from ninth place in English football with Leeds Carnegie before showing himself at clubs such as Ostersunds, Swansea and Brighton.

The British leader showed himself to be a risk-taker, plus he was always ready to talk to the leadership, in contrast to Tuchel's somewhat authoritarian style. Meanwhile, Boehly has also achieved success with the LA Dodgers baseball team and coach Dave Roberts following a similar model. They patiently waited five years for the Dodgers to win the World Series and were praised for their patience in waiting for the fruit. But English football is not simply about applying the winning formula from another sport, another country and reaping the same success, especially in a hot position like the Chelsea coach.

For Potter, the Chelsea coach is a new step in his career and no one can blame him for quickly accepting the invitation when invited by Boehly. But this was a hasty decision, and within a few months Potter was already feeling the pressure, claiming he was doing "the hardest job in football". Things got worse when Potter owned the lowest win rate among Chelsea managers in the past 30 years and lost to the bottom team Southampton.

Potter's appointment from the outset did not please many fans, who still thought Tuchel's dismissal was too hasty, even though Chelsea did indeed decline in the last period of the German coach's reign. Even the Chelsea owners did not expect the strong fan reaction to Potter, especially during and after the 1-0 defeat to Southampton at Stamford Bridge. The loss to Aston Villa was the last straw, with chants of "You don't know what you're doing" and "You'll be sacked next morning" in the stands.

For many months, Chelsea owners had patiently supported Potter, to the point of being considered more tolerant than necessary, even though the team had not made any progress. Boehly and his team hope Potter can do as Mikel Arteta: go through a difficult early period at Arsenal, win the hearts of fans and put the team in competition for the title. But the 0-2 defeat against Tottenham in February was the turning point that made the Chelsea board doubt Potter's ability. The three-match winning streak that followed, including a win over Dortmund that sent them into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, actually only delayed the day Potter was sacked.

"The dismissal of Potter was an inevitable decision, considering the results on the field as well as the attitude of the fans. Even if he won with Chelsea, this coach did not receive the full love from the fans. grave, and the leadership is forced to admit mistakes and correct them before it's too late," commented The Athletic.

However, the approach of the Chelsea leadership this season sends two very clear messages: the coach will have to pay for poor results (Potter) or lack of interaction with the owner (Tuchel). It will be difficult for Chelsea to convince the next manager that he is still safe if he repeats the above.

The Chelsea coach seat will certainly still be attractive to top names, thanks to the opportunity to receive generous compensation, work with a multi-star squad and the ability to compete for titles. Currently, Julian Nagelsmann is the dominant candidate, after being sacked by Bayern Munich to make way for Tuchel himself last week. But whether Potter's successor is Nagelsmann or whoever, they'll still need extra long-term guarantees before signing the contract. The style of dismissing the manager directly under Abramovich is one of the reasons why Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have never come to power at Stamford Bridge.

After all the promises of a different way of operating, in the end, Chelsea under the new owners is still "old wine in a new bottle". Chief Executives Christopher Vivell and Paul Winstanley provide opinions only, the final decision belongs to the owner Todd Boehly and his investors. The current Chelsea is therefore similar to the time of Abramovich, except that they have no titles attached, at least this season.