Thierry Henry has urged Todd Boehly to give Graham Potter time at Chelsea. The Blues have struggled to find form on the pitch under Potter and find themselves placed mid-table in the Premier League.
Potter has found his future at Stamford Bridge placed in the spotlight in 2023 and talk of replacements began following the London derby defeat to Tottenham nearly two weeks ago. However, since then, Chelsea have won their last two games - including an astounding Champions League triumph.
After losing the first-leg of their round-of-16 tie with Borussia Dortmund three weeks ago, Chelsea confirmed their place in the quarter-finals of the competition on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over the Bundesliga side. Goals either side of half-time from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz meant Potter's men won 2-1 on aggregate - ending Dortmund's 10-game win run.
READ MORE: Why Chelsea vs Dortmund Champions League second leg is delayed by 10 minutes
The performance by the Blues was a drastic change from the numerous underwhelming displays in the past few months. It also lifts further pressure off Potter, who will now look forward to taking one of Europe's best seven in the next stage.
football.london understands that the English boss retains the support from the ownership at SW6. And speaking prior to the second-leg against Dortmund, Henry defended Potter's fortunes at the club since replacing Thomas Tuchel.
"You have to give him time," Henry said on CBS Sports Golazo. "(The) money and new players. You're at Chelsea and you have to win. They've been used to winning and the fans are used to seeing that all the time. However they did it, they managed to win more often than not.
"Now, the reality is that you have a new owner, new coach, new players and new staff. I don't think people understand how influential the staff can be. They got rid of the doctor, they got rid of everybody. The owner doesn't know what Chelsea is. The new coach and players, also, don't know.
"The fans let you know, they're loud, they talk about it and you can see that they're loud. Now, as a coach, what's difficult is, how do you manage that? Mudryk arrived and he had a good 25 minutes against Liverpool, but he had no pre-season when he arrived. He doesn't have games in his legs because the season wasn't there. As a coach, it's difficult. You play in the Champions League, when you have a break, there is an international break. When do you work with your philosophy and identity?"
Henry's vote of confidence towards Potter was not replicated by former Premier League defender Jamie Carragher, who went on to predict that he won't be in charge of the club for the 2023/24 campaign. "There was talk after these two games against Leeds and this one was pivotal to whether he stayed here until the end of the season. He won the first one against one of the poorest teams in the Premier League, they won 1-0, off a set-piece," he said.
"I've got no qualms about his actual ability, we've seen with the jobs that he's done. I just don't think it's the right fit at all with Chelsea. Chelsea are a very ruthless club. They're used to winning and having Champions League-winning managers. The fans are used to that. Managers stay for 18 months-two years and go.
"That's not Graham Potter. He's a guy who builds things and I've never believed it was the right fit from day one, if I'm being completely honest. I don't see Graham Potter being the Chelsea manager next season."
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