It's been a period of change for Chelsea and barely a week following their first football transfer window, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have experienced their first firing and hiring at Stamford Bridge. Barely 100 days into their ownership and there will be few areas where the ownership group's impact has not been felt.
Graham Potter is the man chosen to succeed Thomas Tuchel and will now be the face of the team to the media, culpable for decisions on the pitch and asked about issues on it. The 47-year-old has proven himself on an impressive journey working for Hull University, the Ghanaian women's team and Leeds Metropolitan University on his way to Ostersund in Sweden before Swansea and Brighton.
The profile and stature of Chelsea will bring new challenges and new demands, and meeting a squad assembled without his input means he will have to learn quickly but he was nevertheless the hierarchy's top choice. football.london takes a look at what Potter's priorities must be as he gets to work.
READ MORE: Graham Potter will do what Thomas Tuchel couldn't as Chelsea break from Roman Abramovich path
Figure out how to work with Todd Boehly
The sacking of Tuchel within the first 100 days of new ownership and not even seven days following the closure of the transfer window will serve as a swift warning for prospective Chelsea coaches of what to expect from the American owner. Having been the darling of many Chelsea fans after European success combined with the way he handled media obligations and questions those above him.
His relationship with the new ownership did not flourish as many would have hoped, however, with additional responsibilities, demands and ultimately frustrations emerging over the last few months. Murmurs of a new contract were not very long ago in a sign of how quickly relationships can turn.
Providing Potter was thorough in his diligence before taking the job, perhaps that won't be a problem. A five-year deal is indicative of a long-term plan being formed and the former Brighton boss is set to have a role in choosing the club's director of football ahead of the World Cup. Navigating a path with Boehly through this passage will clearly be crucial and given the whispers of Tuchel's complaints, Potter should know what he is getting himself into.
Bring the players back together
At the peaks of Tuchel's tenure, and en route to the Champions League final, the Cobham connections and the chemistry of Chelsea's players seemed a real asset with a belief between coach and player that anyone could be beaten on any given day. That resilience appears to have been lacking in recent matches.
Some players have felt they could not flourish in Tuchel's system, others became frustrated they could not earn the opportunities they wanted. While the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner departed the club, a number of players who wanted to leave did not. While Tuchel was desperate for the end of the transfer window to ensure a committed squad, there was perhaps further needed to go to overcome disappointment.
Whether the Blues are buoyed by Potter's arrival remains to be seen, but a number of players will have a fresh opportunity to impress a new coach and to try and make the first XI and the new boss must try and allow that atmosphere to thrive even with such competition for places. He will also have to ensure those who were close to Tuchel feel they have a place, like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who has only been at the club a week and had a strong relationship with the German coach.
Figure out the most suitable system
Potter doesn't have much time to figure out the most suitable system in time for Chelsea's west London derby against Fulham this weekend should it go ahead. This season has already shown it is not an easy thing to know. Tuchel has changed formations almost as many times during single games as through the whole of the season. Even Raheem Sterling ended up close to the centre of midfield against Dinamo Zagreb.
Tuchel tried to accommodate for the deficiency of certain players defensively but looked key to improve in an attacking sense too as he looked to provide more forward bodies against the likes of Leicester to help Raheem Sterling. Without N'Golo Kante in the centre of midfield there has been mixed success in both directions and often seen players outside of their favoured roles.
If Potter can add some attacking flair, he will win over a contingent of Chelsea fans quickly, but there are a number of issues that need resolving in the team as the squad goes through a transition despite its £270million investment.
Edouard Mendy vs Kepa Arrizabalaga
Ahead of his final game, Tuchel indicated that Kepa Arrizabalaga would start Chelsea's first two Premier League matches. The Spanish goalkeeper provided a rare positive in a dire 90 minutes in Zagreb and given Edouard Mendy's early season form may have even put himself in contention to face Fulham.
Potter has brought his goalkeeping coach from Brighton, Ben Roberts, with him to Chelsea and it will be a big first decision to make in getting acquainted with the squad and current coaching staff.
Get used to the schedule
Perhaps one of the biggest new challenges Potter will have to face. Few teams have played more games than Chelsea in recent seasons and the club played just three shy of the most they possibly could by bowing out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.
There's little doubting Potter's ability as a coach but he will soon enter a period where much time is spent in recovering and preparing for games and that will mean he perhaps needs to adapt his usual schedule. There's nothing to suggest he cannot figure out but any tactical or technical changes may be implemented more slowly, particularly with the busiest part of the season on the horizon.
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