Graham Potter reveals what went wrong in his ‘perfect storm’ at Chelsea as he rues brutal fixture pile-up and reflects on rising pressure after £300m spending spree
Graham Potter has revealed what went wrong during his ‘perfect storm’ at Chelsea and reflected on the rising pressure that ended in his early sacking.
Potter, 49, was dismissed in March 2023 in the wake of a 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa after less than seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge. The loss was his 11th in 31 games after he replaced Thomas Tuchel in the dugout on September 8.
By the time of his departure, the Blues had dropped to a lowly 11th in the Premier League and fallen 12 points adrift of the Champions League places.
The board had also given the green light for a transfer splurge of around £550million on new players in both the summer and winter transfer windows, leaving Potter with a bloated squad and little time to bed in his new arrivals.
However, the coach, who has also admitted he is ready to return to management despite his bruising Chelsea stint, has taken responsibility for the poor results.
Graham Potter has reflected on the ‘perfect storm’ that led to his early sacking at Chelsea
Potter was dismissed just seven months in at Stamford Bridge after a horror run of form
Potter highlighted the brutal fixture pile-up caused by the mid-season World Cup, as well as injuries to key players.
‘It was almost like the perfect storm,’ he told The Telegraph. ‘It was 14 matches in six weeks prior to the World Cup. It was like you were in the washing machine, that’s what we said within the staff, because the games kept coming and we had no preparation time.
‘We lost Reece [James] and Wesley [Fofana] to injury. I think we had the most players at the World Cup and pretty quickly afterwards we lost Raheem [Sterling] and Christian Pulisic.’
Potter claimed the pressure increased when Chelsea’s ownership approved a £300million spending spree during the January transfer window.
Chelsea signed eight players in the window with Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke among the high profile arrivals at the club.
Fernandez had signed for a then British record fee of £107million, while Mudryk joined for £88m.
Potter claimed it was unrealistic to think Chelsea’s signings would hit the ground running as they adjusted to the Premier League.
‘If you are spending £300m on players coming from outside the Premier League, from countries having a mid-season break, then the reality is you can’t just imagine they are going to hit the ground running and everything’s going to be fine,’ Potter said.
The club’s hierarchy, fronted by Todd Boehly (right), spent over £500million on signings
Potter suffered 11 defeats in 31 matches across all competitions before being ousted
He admitted to making mistakes but rued a fixture pile-up and dealing with a bloated squad
Potter is keen to return to management and has been linked with the England vacancy
‘But, obviously, if you spend £300m, the pressure on the team goes up and the pressure on the coach goes up.
‘And people go: “Come on then, you’ve spent all this money.” I think if I’d have spent it on Harry Kane and Declan Rice, fair enough, but at the time that was the decision.
‘We tried to support it as best we could, but it left us with a challenge of a lot of players after January and then they can’t go anywhere.’
Potter is understood to be on the FA’s shortlist as they look to name the next permanent England head coach.
Interim boss Lee Carsley is viewed as the leading contender for the role.
Potter insisted he has not ruled out international management, but stressed he enjoys the day-to-day process of the club game and working to develop players.
The 49-year-old has been linked with various jobs in club management since leaving Chelsea, most recently at Everton.
