The Chelsea first-team squad has reportedly been left ‘stunned’ by the club’s decision to sack Graham Potter.
Heading into Saturday’s Premier League fixture with Aston Villa, Chelsea had put together a four-match unbeaten streak, winning three of those fixtures and drawing 2-2 with Everton in the match before the international break.
However, on the back of losing 2-0 to the West Midlands outfit, the Blues announced on Sunday evening that they had parted company with the Englishman after just 31 matches in charge.
Potter leaves having won just 12 times, half of his triumphs coming in the opening nine games of his reign, with 11 defeats being posted in all competitions.
Although Chelsea have dropped down to 11th position in the top-flight standings, a decision of this magnitude was not expected ahead of Tuesday’s fixture with Liverpool and the upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
As such, The Telegraph says that senior players learned of Potter’s departure when it was announced through the club’s official media channels.
The report says that the squad was left ‘stunned’ by the development, leading to many of them making contact with their representatives.
Sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley allegedly instigated the decision to remove Potter from his position, a move which was supported by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
Chelsea revealed in their official statement that Bruno Saltor, a member of the coaching staff, would be placed in interim charge.
As it stands, the length of Bruno’s tenure is unclear with speculation mounting that Chelsea will look to appoint Julian Nagelsmann as soon as possible.
Nine days ago, Nagelsmann was sacked by Bayern Munich, despite the club sitting just one point off top spot in the Bundesliga at the time, and having reached the Champions League quarter-finals with victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
Since then, it has been claimed that Nagelsmann will wait until the summer before considering taking a new job with Tottenham Hotspur also known to be admirers.
Nevertheless, while Chelsea allegedly have no immediate successor to Potter lined up, Nagelsmann has emerged as the clear favourite to make the switch over the coming days or weeks. – Reuters
