Chelsea are set to begin an “exhaustive search” for a new manager after Graham Potter was sacked less than seven months into the job on Sunday night.
Potter was dismissed following Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa, a result which left the Blues in the bottom half of the Premier League table. The decision was made by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, and with the full support of co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, but is said to have left members of the Chelsea squad “stunned”.
Chelsea’s new ownership believe sacking Potter, who they recruited from Brighton for £21m after getting rid of Thomas Tuchel earlier this season, gives the team a better chance of defeating Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League this month. Potter’s assistant, Bruno Saltor, will now take interim charge ahead of Tuesday night’s game against Liverpool, while a permanent appointment is not said to be “imminent”.
Julian Nagelsmann is believed to be in contention for the job with Chelsea prepared to give the 35-year-old time for a rest after he was sacked by Bayern Munich, while former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is said to be “open” to the role. Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi and Luis Enrique are among the other contenders. Follow live updates from Chelsea’s managerial search and the latest reaction to Potter’s sacking in our live blog below.
