Chelsea's players found out about Graham Potter's sacking after seeing the club's statement released on their website.
It left several members of the squad stunned with the Englishman only appointed a matter of months ago, signing a five-year deal upon his arrival from Brighton. Many phoned their representatives with the club in a state of turmoil heading into the final weeks of the campaign.
Potter's final defeat at Stamford Bridge was the 2-0 reverse to Aston Villa on Saturday night. Pressure has been mounting on the 47-year-old, who struggled to win over the club's fans after taking on the biggest job of his career to date. Potter lasted just 31 games, winning 12 as the Blues continued to slide down the league table with silverware looking incredibly unlikely ahead of a Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
The Telegraph understands that no replacement has been lined up yet, with the likes of Julian Naglesmann and Mauricio Pochettino both linked with the vacancy. The latter was interviewed for the role earlier this season before the Blues opted to go for Potter instead.
Chelsea had sent out a communication stating that their former manager was to undergo media duties on Monday, ahead of their clash with Liverpool on Tuesday. However things moved quickly and hours later he'd been dismissed, although the west Londoners have avoided paying his full £50m compensation package.
Potter’s staff, led by Bruno Saltor, who previously played for Brighton, have stayed on and will be in charge for the game against the Reds at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. After that they visit Wolves before the first leg of their European clash against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.
Chelsea's hierarchy, who have spent over £600m on players since taking control in west London, have now sacked a second manager in their first season. Thomas Tuchel was shown the door just weeks into the season and they hired Potter, who they claim "fitted their vision" but have since u-turned on that stance.
Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea. We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome.
"Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season. We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."
