Chelsea’s patience with Graham Potter has not yet run out, with chairman Todd Boehly eager to give the embattled head coach more time to turn things around.
But if results do not improve soon and a decision is made to cut ties with the 47-year-old it will cost Chelsea an estimated £50m - a record payout for a managerial dismissal.
That is on top of the £22m in compensation they paid Brighton to release him and a five-man backroom team from their contracts in September. That was also a world record fee. Potter, whose team has won two of their past 15 games in all competitions, signed an unprecedented five-year deal at Stamford Bridge worth about £60m.
Chelsea became used to making significant payouts to sacked head coaches during Roman Abramovich’s tenure - topped by the £26.6m to Antonio Conte and his staff in 2018. But Potter’s compensation would be almost double that should he end up having his contract terminated.
Sunday’s limp defeat away to neighbours Tottenham brought a fresh wave of pressure on Potter.
It was their third straight defeat and extended their winless run to six. Chelsea spent an eye-watering £320m in the January transfer window but Potter is particularly struggling to organise his attack and the team has scored only four goals in 11 matches since the turn of the year.
A petition has been set up calling on Boehly and the club’s owners to let him go - a little more than 48 hours after Potter underlined the toll the job has taken on his mental health.
“I’ve sat here for four months answering questions about pressure,” Potter said on Friday. “When the results are like they are, you have to accept criticism. But that’s not to say it’s easy at all. Your family life suffers, your mental life suffers, your personality. It’s hard.”
Potter said that he had received emails from someone claiming that they wished he was dead and revealed he spoke to West Ham's manager David Moyes about how to handle the pressure and abuse.
“If you go to work and somebody is swearing at you it’s not going to be pleasant,” Potter said. “If you’re referred to as the worst person in the history of the club. Everyone does care what people think. We’re hard-wired to be socially connected. I want to succeed here. There’s this nonsense I don’t care. My response would be ‘Where’s your evidence on that?’
“Not that I’d let you do it, but you can ask my family how my life has been for me and for them. It’s been not pleasant at all. I understand. Supporters go home and they’re really annoyed because the team aren’t winning but I assure you my life for the last three or four months has been fairly average, apart from the fact I’m really grateful for this experience.”
