Todd Boehly may be preparing a contingency plan in the event that Graham Potter is sacked following Chelsea's defeat to Aston Villa. The Blues have slipped into the bottom half of the Premier League, casting fresh doubt over the 47-year-old's future in the dugout at Stamford Bridge.
Potter appeared to have transformed the west London outfit's fortunes ahead of the international break, recording a four-game unbeaten streak which included a win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. However, the Chelsea head coach struggled to build upon the new-found momentum and he now finds himself under pressure again.
In the latter stages of the Blues' clash with Villa, the home support made their feelings known by aiming various chants at Potter, such as 'sacked in the morning' and 'you don't know what you're doing'. With the former Brighton boss facing an increasingly uncertain future, Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the preferred candidate among fans to take the helm.
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According to Fabrizio Romano, the 35-year-old has always been appreciated by Chelsea as a future top coach. Ironically, Nagelsmann was replaced by Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich earlier this month.
However, as it stands, it remains to be seen whether the Blues will launch a proposal to appoint the German. In the meantime, Potter has faced the music and explained to reporters where it all went wrong for the west Londoners against Villa.
"If you look at the stats of the game, apart from the most important stat, there's a lot there that says we did a lot well but ultimately the two boxes are the most important area and that's where we've come up short," the Chelsea boss said. "First half I thought we had a couple of opportunities, we won it back high and created a 1v1 situation pretty early in the game.
"Obviously the goal is a blow for us. We need to do better than that. Of course, it's difficult then, you're 1-0 down at home. I thought the team gave everything, I thought the intention of the team was there.
"You could tell by the amount of times we got in their box, the shots we had, there was a positive intent but the scoreline is painful for us," he added. "I understand when you lose at home that the emotion of the game that people are going to be disappointed and frustrated and angry. Where we are in the league table, no-one is happy with. Whatever criticism comes I have to accept."
Then, when quizzed on the quick turnaround of fixtures, Potter said: "Well, we've got no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to respond and prepare for another big game. It's as simple as that."
Chelsea will welcome the Reds to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening as both sides looks to return to winning ways.
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