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 mounting pressure that ended in his early dismissal.
Potter, 49, was sacked in March 2023 following a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa after less than seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge. The defeat was his eleventh 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 eleventh place in the Premier League and twelve points behind the Champions League places.
The board had also given the go-ahead for a transfer spend of around £550 million on new players in both the summer and winter transfer windows, leaving Potter with a bloated squad and little time to sleep with his newcomers.
However, the coach, who has also admitted he is willing to return to management despite his painful spell at Chelsea, has taken responsibility for the poor results.
Graham Potter has reflected on the ‘perfect storm’ that led to his early dismissal from Chelsea
Potter was sacked just seven months at Stamford Bridge after a terrible run of form
Potter highlighted the brutal build-up of fixtures caused by the mid-season World Cup, as well as injuries to key players.
“It was almost like the perfect storm,” he said The Telegraph. ‘It was fourteen games in six weeks leading up to the World Cup. It was like being in a washing machine, we said within the staff, because the games just kept coming and we had no preparation time.
‘We’ve lost Reece [James] and Wesley [Fofana] to injury. I think we had the most players at the World Cup and quite soon after that we lost Raheem [Sterling] and Christian Pulisic.’
Potter claimed the pressure increased when Chelsea approved a £300 million spend 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 newcomers to the club.
Fernandez had signed for a then British record fee of £107 million, while Mudryk joined for £88 million.
Potter claimed it was unrealistic to think Chelsea’s signings would be a success as they adapted to the Premier League.
‘When you spend £300 million on players who come from outside the Premier League, from countries that have a mid-season break, the reality is you can’t just imagine them getting off to a good start and everything turning out fine. Potter said.
The club’s hierarchy, led by Todd Boehly (right), spent more than £500 million on signings
Potter suffered 11 defeats in 31 games in all competitions before being dropped
He admitted to making mistakes but was bothered by a build-up of matches and dealing with a bloated team
Potter is keen to return to management and has been linked with the vacancy in England
‘But if you spend three hundred million euros, the pressure on the team obviously increases and also the pressure on the coach.
“And people say, ‘Come on, you spent all this money.’ I think if I had spent it on Harry Kane and Declan Rice that would have been fair enough, but at the time that was the decision.
‘We tried to support it as best we could, but it left a lot of players facing the challenge after January and then they have nowhere to go.’
Potter is believed to be on the FA’s shortlist as they search for England’s new permanent head coach.
Interim boss Lee Carsley is seen as the main 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 on player development.
The 49-year-old has been linked with several club management jobs since leaving Chelsea, most recently at Everton.