Graham Potter says he has “total support” from the Chelsea board and insists that this is a “completely different” club from the era under Roman Abramovich when they repeatedly sacked managers. The 47-year-old also pointed to how Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta had early struggles only to excel with time, which is something the new hierarchy understand. Potter added he would not have left Brighton if there was any chance of his job coming under threat this early, regardless of results, and that he is more confident of success now than when he joined.
The Chelsea manager has only one win from the last eight games, which is the sort of form that would have seen his predecessors under serious threat when Abramovich was owner. While that still informs perceptions of Chelsea, the predominant view at the club is that a mismatched squad must be totally reshaped to a new football ideal, that completely fits with Potter’s approach. There is consequently no threat of a sacking, because the hierarchy see this as a long-term project that is fundamentally linked to the manager’s outlook on the game. The thinking is that Potter is working with a squad built for multiple different coaches, which is why they are not placing too much stock in current form. It is why Potter can speak with such certainty about his position.
