It is a statement that has been repeated by a number of Chelsea supporters over the past two days: Graham Potter would be gone if Roman Abramovich still owned the club. It is impossible to argue otherwise. Yet the more pertinent point is the 47-year-old would not have been hired in the first place by the Russian.
Abramovich preferred to appoint high-profile European coaches; a strategy that paid off given Chelsea's unrivalled success. But the club is no longer his. That period of Chelsea's history is firmly over.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are now in control and have showcased over the past eight months that they will do things differently. It's why having made the decision to part ways with popular head coach Thomas Tuchel – with whom their relationship had alarmingly broken down – in September, the ownership group turned to Potter.
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His work at Swedish club Östersunds was admired. His time at Swansea City too. The clincher, however, was that Potter had slowly transformed Brighton and Hove Albion from a direct and defence-first relegation candidate to an attack-minded, top-half Premier League side.
The ownership felt Potter worthy of the opportunity to coach Chelsea – and they had consciously decided against appointing a big-name coach who had failed in previous roles. A compensation package worth a staggering £20million was agreed with Brighton and Potter signed a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
That contract was a firm indication of Boehly and Behdad Eghbali's belief in Potter. Five months on and it is being sternly tested with Chelsea tenth in the Premier League table and having won just two of their previous 14 top-flight matches. It is a dismal record bookended by Saturday's pitiful 1-0 defeat at home to bottom-of-the-table Southampton.
The full-time whistle was greeted with resounding boos from the Chelsea supporters, the majority of whom have called for Potter's head. It's what they became accustomed to under Abramovich – and what club legend Petr Cech famously described as "shock therapy" to reignite a faltering campaign.
It's understood Boehly and Eghbali – for now – remain supportive of Potter and his job isn't under immediate threat. There remains a strong appreciation for his work behind the scenes at Cobham, where a conciliatory environment has been fostered, while Potter's even-tempered public persona is valued.
The decision to sack Tuchel in September came after a 100-day review was held by the ownership. A similar analysis took place for Potter during the World Cup break; the outcome was Boehly and Eghbali remained very content with the English coach's tenure and huge spending occurred in the January transfer window to continue a squad overhaul.
Potter – as he has highlighted – continues to bed several new signings into his team. There have also been a huge number of injury issues to contend with and they continue to impact his starting XI. Against Southampton, Reece James and Thiago Silva were omitted from the squad entirely to avoid overload while Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell were not ready to complete 90 minutes.
It's understood Potter, despite the poor results, has built good relationships with the majority of his players. He is liked and viewed as firm but fair in his dealings with the senior squad. It is the same with his coaching staff, all of whom are prepared to hold conversations with players.
Yet a harsh fact remains: Chelsea are ensconced in midtable and are closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places after 23 matches. There has been little sign of improvement in performances or an overarching tactical approach being imprinted onto the side. And very few players – if any – have upped their level under Potter.
There is still work to do to refresh the first team, and that will continue in the summer transfer window. There is a feeling internally that the squad lacks true leaders, something which will try to be addressed, while the need for an out-and-out goalscorer is desperately clear.
Chelsea now have their full recruitment team in place to oversee further changes. Paul Winstanley is a key figure within it and worked alongside Potter at Brighton. Christopher Vivell was involved in the January business. Laurence Stewart and Joe Shields, meanwhile, started their respective roles at Stamford Bridge at the end of last month.
The sporting structure is one Boehly and Eghbali are understood to be pleased with, and the hope is stability will lead to long-term success for Chelsea. In that context, sacking Potter would be counterintuitive – and such a decision would undermine the credibility of Boehly and Eghbali, who sources have re-emphasised have no interest in repeating the shock-therapy approach of Abramovich.
Could a tipping point be reached in the weeks ahead? Perhaps. Chelsea take on heated London rivals Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday. Then comes another old foe: Leeds United. The second leg of the Blues' Champions League Round of 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund follows.
Lose all three and Chelsea's season would be over by early March. It's difficult to envisage Potter surviving that brutal reality.
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