Chelsea could have a huge part to play in the Premier League title race by the end of the season, following on from the dismissal of Graham Potter. The former Brighton manager replaced Thomas Tuchel earlier this season for a fee costing £21.5million, but things didn't go to plan for Todd Boehly and his ownership group.
Poor results accumulated, with the side knocked out of both domestic cup competitions and sitting in the bottom half of the division. A 2-0 loss to Aston Villa at the weekend was enough for the board as they decided to take action with a club statement released on Sunday evening.
Co-controlling owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "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. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome.
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"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."
While focus for the Blues will be on how they can end the season, their fixtures mean that the decision to dismiss Potter could have a huge say on the title race. They face both Arsenal and Manchester City, with the two sides hopeful of beating the other to lift the Premier League trophy.
Should the new manager come in before those games, any impact that is felt could decide such fixtures and as a result the title picture as a whole. The Gunners felt the full impact of that earlier this campaign when they faced Everton in their first game under Sean Dyche, falling to defeat to a rejuvenated side.
It remains to be seen if that will be the case at Stamford Bridge, however the change may have thrown some extra uncertainty into the mix.
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