Kai Havertz admits Graham Potter’s sacking of Chelsea was ‘frustrating’

Kai Havertz described Graham Potter’s departure from Chelsea as “frustrating” as the club again sought a new manager.

Potter had less than seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge when he was sacked on Sunday night in the wake of a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa with the club eleventh in the table.

Bruno Saltor has temporarily taken charge and his first game ended in a goalless draw with Liverpool on Tuesday night.

Speaking after the game, which saw a goal disallowed for handball, Havertz admitted that the lack of a long-term coach in the dugout was disruptive to the players.

“First of all I have to say it’s very nice and we have to respect Bruno and the coaching staff for being there for the team when the manager was sacked,” Havertz told Sky Sports.

Potter was sacked on Sunday night after less than seven months in the Chelsea hotseat

Bruno Saltor has temporarily taken charge of the Blues as the search for a new manager continues

“The club has to respect those guys. But it’s not our job to think about who comes in, that’s for the owners to decide.

“We have to do our job on the pitch, but having a long-term manager makes it easier for us players.

“It’s not fun, we have to take responsibility for what’s going on. We are in front, everyone sees us.

“We are all very frustrated to see Graham leave, but we have to accept the situation.”

Chelsea would have been good value for a win against Liverpool, but the teams played out a goalless draw for the fourth consecutive meeting.

Both Havertz and Reece James put the ball into Liverpool’s net, but their efforts were disallowed by VAR, with Chelsea handing out the better chances.

The stalemate leaves them in eleventh place, behind neighbors Brentford and Fulham in west London, while Liverpool are eighth, some seven points off the Champions League places.

Chelsea have reached out to Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique as their promised ‘exhaustive’ search for Potter’s successor kicks into action.

The German thought he had broken the deadlock in Chelsea’s game against Liverpool on Tuesday

But the goal was disallowed because Havertz had the ball in hand in the run-up to it

Havertz and Chelsea were unable to break the deadlock at Stamford Bridge and remained 11th

Both coaches are out of work and high on bookmakers’ lists of potential replacements, as co-sports directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart lead the search.

Nagelsmann is known to Stewart and the club’s technical director Christopher Vivell, who worked with both at RB Leipzig.

Chelsea had previously reached out through intermediaries to find out more about Nagelsmann’s plans following his resignation from Bayern Munich.

The 35-year-old is eager to learn more about the club, its structure and the level of influence he could wield. He is not thought to be in a hurry to return to management and is considering when he will make a comeback.

Nagelsmann also has other admirers, including Real Madrid, whose job could be available in the summer, and Tottenham Hotspur. Of the two Premier League sides, Chelsea would be in pole position for the German.

Havertz talks to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp after Tuesday’s goalless draw

Luis Enrique departed as Spain head coach when his contract expired in December following the World Cup. He spoke last week about his goal of working in England and specifically his desire to “lead a team there that can do important things”.

Chelsea are also expected to talk to former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, a contender for the job before Potter was appointed last September. Pochettino is also in the crosshairs of his former club and Real Madrid.

Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim is another highly regarded manager and was discussed by Chelsea before Potter’s appointment.

However, he signed a new contract until 2026 in November and has publicly stated his intention to work that out. Amorim said he would only leave Sporting if the release clause in his deal was met.

Chelsea have opted for a new attack on Brighton for Roberto De Zerbi, whose contract also includes a buyout clause.

Julian Nagelsmann has been approached by Chelsea as they are looking for a replacement for Graham Potter

Luis Enrique has also been shortlisted by The Blues as a possible replacement for the fired Potter