Author: Barkha Roy
Chelsea fans rejoiced on social media after hearing about Graham Potter’s dismissal on Sunday night.
The 47-year-old has managed just four wins for the Stamford Bridge outfit this year, putting them in 11th place in the Premier League standings, 12 points behind the Champions League places.
A club statement read: “Chelsea FC has announced that Graham Potter has left the club. Graham agreed to collaborate with the club to facilitate a smooth transition.
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In his time at the club, Graham has taken us to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where we will face Real Madrid.
“Chelsea would like to thank Graham for all his efforts and contributions and wish him the best of luck in the future.”
Although the Blues had been putting in decent performances that yielded positive results, including a victory in the round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund, Potter’s reign came to an end after six months following two disappointing results – a draw at home to Everton and a defeat to Aston Vila on Saturday.
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However, on social media, the club’s fans seemed to be in good spirits, with some calling his management at Stamford Bridge “shameful”. “Graham Potter can now revel in his mediocre mentality and methods,” they wrote. “At least he got his pension as a reward for his short and shameful period as Chelsea manager.”
Most were happy with Potter’s departure, but some Chelsea fans were still in favor of sacking the 47-year-old. “Potter was always doomed to fail at Chelsea. I joined a club where the owner was just spending his money on players who absolutely didn’t need it,” they wrote. “He always needed time to build the team he wanted and he could never do that with that owner.”
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Potter’s tenure got off to a strong start with a five-game unbeaten run in the league, but his efforts were undone by a 4-1 defeat at the hands of his former team. The confidence of his players seemed to have been affected by this, as Chelsea didn’t win another league game until a shaky victory over Bournemouth on December 27.
Last month’s victory over Dortmund at Stamford Bridge was the culmination of Potter’s time at the club. He played 31 games during his tenure, losing 11 of them, including the crucial home defeat to Villa. He won 12 matches, drew eight and drew eight.
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The club officially announced that Potter’s former assistant Bruno Saltor, who joined him from Brighton last September, will be the team’s interim manager until the end of the season.
The club’s team of sporting directors will be in charge of selecting a long-term replacement for the Blues before co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali make the final decision.
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To reach the coveted Champions League next season, Chelsea will now have to beat Real Madrid.
Since the club’s new owners took over from Roman Abramovich last summer, Chelsea have spent more than 600 million pounds on new players, but two managers have left the club.
The Blues are next in line to host Liverpool in a midweek game before traveling to Molineux Stadium to face Wolves on Saturday. They must then travel to Madrid to face reigning champions Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.