Graham Potter has admitted that if he wanted an easy life, then he would've stayed at Brighton. The 47-year-old swapped the Amex Stadium for Stamford Bridge in September to replace former boss Thomas Tuchel.
He enjoyed a great start to life in west London by kickstarting his tenure with a nine-game unbeaten streak. But, despite a honeymoon period momentarily injecting new life into Chelsea, the Blues are winless in their previous four Premier League clashes.
And, as a result, Potter has been subject to mounting pressure from sections of the west Londoners' fanbase. Speaking to the press ahead of Chelsea's clash with Manchester City in the Carabao Cup third round, he addressed the speculation over his future and insisted that he enjoys the new challenges of high-profile job.
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"I would say it is a little bit unfair to assess Chelsea now because the change of ownership has happened," Potter said. "We are on a new direction, a new path and ultimately that is part of the challenge.
"If I wanted a nice easy life, I could have quite easily stayed working at Brighton in the Premier League and signed a new contract and been absolutely OK. And I wouldn't have had too many questions about myself or pressure or sacking or anything like that, but the reason to come here, one of the reasons to come here as there were many, it's a fantastic football club, potentially one of the best in the world that can compete for any major trophy.
"We all know we are not at that point now and we haven't been for two or three years is the reality if you look at the league table and the points difference between the top two. So, OK, how do you get there? That's hard work, pain and suffering and moving forward it is learning and developing and that's why we're here."
Potter is under great pressure leading up to the World Cup which commences this month. Chelsea have City and high-flying Newcastle United to play before the international break, though the Blues are set to play newly-promoted Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest upon the Premier League's return.
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