Graham Potter has been sacked by Chelsea, with the Englishman paying the price for a dreadful defeat to Aston Villa.
Potter was brought in from Brighton in September to replace Thomas Tuchel, but he has struggled for results at Stamford Bridge. The Blues won just 12 games under his management, though he was able to take them to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
But he will not have the chance to lead Chelsea in that crunch clash with Real Madrid. Instead, he has been fired by Blues owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, with little sign that he would be able to mastermind a turnaround in fortunes.
Chelsea announced Potter's exit on Sunday evening with a shock statement on their club website. They confirmed that Bruno Saltor will take interim charge, with Potter 'collaborating' on the transition plans.
"Chelsea FC has announced that Graham Potter has departed the club. Graham has agreed to collaborate with the Club to facilitate a smooth transition. In his time with the club, Graham has taken us to the quarter final of the Champions League, where we will face Real Madrid," the statement read.
"Chelsea would like to thank Graham for all his efforts and contribution and wish him well for the future. Bruno Saltor will take charge of the team as Interim Head Coach."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who should Chelsea appoint to replace Graham Potter? Comment below.
As part of the announcement, Boehly and Eghbali released a joint statement of their own. They thanked Potter for his work since taking over and called on Chelsea supporters to pull behind their team for the rest of the season.
"On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea. We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person," the duo said.
"He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome. Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season.
"We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."
Potter's final game in charge was a dismal defeat to Aston Villa, with Blues fans booing the team at the final whistle. The Englishman defended his players in response, but admitted Chelsea supporters deserved to be frustrated.
He said: "I understand when you lose at home that people will be frustrated, disappointed and angry. No one is happy with where we are in the league table and we have to work hard to improve that. It’s an emotional game and I can certainly understand the frustrations after a home defeat."
