Chelsea stars called Graham Potter ‘Harry’ or ‘Hogwarts’ behind his back, considered him a ‘yes’ man and were baffled by phone calls to Trevoh Chalobah, Hakim Ziyech and Joao Felix’ before he was sacked
Graham Potter was called “Harry” and “Hogwarts” behind his back by Chelsea players before he sacked Stamford Bridge after failing to command the same respect as his predecessor Thomas Tuchel, according to reports.
Potter was relieved of his duties with the Blues in the bottom half of the table on Sunday after a dismal 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa the previous evening.
The 47-year-old won just 12 and lost 11 of his 31 games after leaving Brighton in September to replace Tuchel.
Despite leading Chelsea to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, he struggled to win over the players and they believed he had no authority, as reported by The athletic.
This led to him being dubbed “Harry” and “Hogwarts” by Chelsea stars while out of earshot of their manager.
Graham Potter was sacked by Chelsea after disrespecting his players
The Chelsea players believed that Potter was just a “yes” guy working under owner Todd Boehly
Potter was propped up in his first transfer window at the club in January, with Chelsea spending more than £300 million, including paying a record UK transfer fee for World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez, while also guiding Arsenal to the signing of Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk .
However, this did not lead to an improvement in results and there were concerns within the side whether Potter had any say in the signings or whether he was simply eager to work with players that co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali wanted.
The belief in the locker room was that he was just a “yes” guy, going up against a squad of over 30 players, forcing some stars to change in the hallways due to lack of space in the main locker room.
Eghbali was also not only involved in transfers, as he regularly watched first-team training sessions from the sidelines.
Potter never raised any issues with this, but the Chelsea players took this as an ominous sign that the Englishman was clearly under pressure to turn things around.
Potter’s actions before and after matches also caused considerable bewilderment in the dressing room, with players questioning his selection talks.
Trevoh Chalobah looked set to start Saturday’s defeat to Aston Villa after speaking at length with Potter about his role in set pieces, but then was left on the bench with Reece James favored in the back.
Potter’s decision to start Hakim Ziyech (left) just days after his failed move to PSG has been questioned by some players
The side was also surprised that Joao Felix went straight to the side after joining the club
There were also questions about Potter’s decision to throw Hakim Ziyech and Joao Felix straight into his starting lineups earlier in 2023.
Ziyech started 0–0 at home against Fulham just three days after his proposed move to PSG collapsed on deadline day.
The Moroccan was reportedly furious at not getting his move, but still played the next game for the Blues.
Meanwhile, Felix went straight to the team for the reverse match just weeks earlier, just 24 hours after completing his temporary move from Atletico Madrid.
The Portuguese striker got off to a good start but was sent off for an ugly tackle less than an hour after making his debut and Chelsea went on to lose 2-1 to their West London rivals.
Despite slipping further and further down the field, Potter remained convinced that his side was giving it their all on the field, a message he tried to convey at post-game press conferences. Still, his players were not convinced by his words.
Chelsea players felt Potter was floundering at press conferences during his tenure
They felt he was floundering in front of the media, and he did little to change this perception at a club event when he claimed the Blues were ‘going to try and win the goddamn Champions League’.
Potter received some credit for showing personality by some sections of the Chelsea fanbase, but the players saw things differently and were shocked by his statement that seemed completely out of character.
That surprise statement came after a run of three wins in a row, but Chelsea could only draw 2-2 with Everton in their next match, putting Potter under pressure again, with Boehly unable to hide his frustration afterwards as he saw the stalemate at Stamford Bridge as a ‘damned game’.
Their poor performance in the first game after the international break against Villa sealed Potter’s fate and ended his disappointing seven months at the helm.