Saturday it seems, was one defeat too many for Graham Potter. Chelsea bested Aston Villa in most departments but not in the most crucial area as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at home. The match in many ways reflected the former Brighton manager's time in charge. The prospect of a project sounded good and the change the west London side needed but it was not meant to come at the cost of sitting 11th in the Premier League table.
From the outset, there was a degree of pause around the appointment of Potter as it was made clear early that the 47-year-old's job would not be predicated on whether the club qualified for the Champions League. That rang true when Potter retained the board's support in February when the Blues recorded a record of just a single win in 11 attempts to start 2022.
Perhaps that steadfastness shows that relieving Potter of his duties was not an easy decision. The former head coach led his side to an unbeaten March where they recorded victories over Borussia Dortmund, Leeds United and Leicester City but there was always the question of how much would be required to win supporters over, if not the hierarchy.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali first words after Graham Potter sacked as Chelsea head coach
Or perhaps it was the investment the club had made in the man himself. Potter was perhaps not central to the £600million of transfer business that Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali facilitated but he did cost Chelsea in excess of £20million to bring to the club and any severance package will top that up.
That a single defeat saw the tipping point for his job security may hint at a decision too long to come or a supporter base that was pushed too far in what it was willing to tolerate. Boos punctuated the half-time and full-time whistles while Villa's second goal was followed by a not insignificant chorus of 'You don't know what you're doing' that only stopped due to the introduction of N'Golo Kante.
The Frenchman featured for the first time under Potter on Saturday evening in a hint that Chelsea's departed boss has not had the easiest time. However, even with much of his squad spending time injured and an unwieldy squad size following the January window, there has not been anything to indicate things were consistently improving.
Against Everton and Villa, Potter saw substitutes questioned in addition to his selection of Reece James and Marc Cucurella as part of his back three. Injuries to Wesley Fofana and Thiago Silva are very unhelpful but in the end, the performance meant that leaving Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile on the bench was deemed so too.
In their statement, the club acknowledged that Potter would assist in the next period to 'facilitate a smooth transition'. With Bruno Saltor appointed to lead the team on an interim basis it looks like there could be a different scenario to when Potter arrived barely a day following the departure of Thomas Tuchel. On this occasion, they enter a competitive market, with Spurs having recently parted ways with Antonio Conte.
Discussions took place on Saturday night over Potter's future, while Sunday morning saw an email arranging his press conference on Monday afternoon. Ultimately he did not last long enough to hold it and it's impossible to ignore that the ferocity of the reaction to Saturday's result must have played a role in any decision.
football.london understands that Julian Nagelsmann is one of the figures Chelsea are looking at while reports already placing Marco Silva as a contender. It has been suggested the German coach, recently sacked by Bayern Munich, is known to Christopher Vivell and Laurence Stewart with the trio all having been employed by RB Leipzig.
However, it has already been suggested the coach does not want an immediate return to management and would rather wait until the summer to decide. If that is the case, the question begs whether Potter's departure will see enough change given a member of his staff will be in charge of the tea, for the moment.
Chelsea may no face an easy task in finding their third head coach since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's takeover. While few connected to the Blues will see the sacking as the wrong decision, convincing someone else they will be backed through thick and thin will prove more difficult given the finance the Blues put into Potter and acquiring his team, for him to barely last six months in the role.
READ NEXT:
Chelsea reach full agreement to sign wonderkid Kendry Paez in £17.6m package transfer
Pep Guardiola and Enzo Fernandez agree on Chelsea transfer target after Man City display
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang faces Chelsea transfer nightmare as Barcelona claims emerge
Christian Pulisic boost revealed as Chelsea set for Joao Felix summer transfer battle
Kai Havertz breaks silence after controversial Bayern Munich transfer claim with Chelsea promise
