EXCL: Inside Look - Graham Potter Sacking and What Happens Now
The Ben Jacobs Column
Just when we thought things couldn’t get any more dramatic at Chelsea…
Sunday was one of the most intense and important days since the new owners took charge. Sacking Graham Potter saw something happen that didn’t even occur under Roman Abramovich: axing two managers in the same season.
Based on form, and football, Graham Potter’s departure was no real surprise. Chelsea fell into the bottom half of the table at the weekend, and Potter leaves with only seven league wins from 22 Premier League games. He lost eight and presided over just 21 goals. The main high was, of course, qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals (... and apparently getting a 'glow up', which I am too old to quite understand!)
The board consistently and genuinely backed Potter. They gave him as much time as they could. Even after the 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, with pressure mounting and internal talks taking place, there was still an expectation from senior members of the club’s hierarchy that Potter would take charge of Liverpool. The media department sent out his pre-match press conference invite, and more than one club source referred to “business as usual”.
