Todd Boehly has been warned that the appointment of Graham Potter could cost Chelsea qualification to the UEFA Champions League. The 47-year-old replaced Thomas Tuchel at the helm of Stamford Bridge just days after the summer transfer window slammed shut following two games without a win.
Potter will be eager to pick up the first win of his Blues tenure as Crystal Palace host the west Londoners at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Chelsea currently sit seventh in the Premier League on 10 points and remain some way from top-four, let alone rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal who sit in third and first respectively.
The international break will have given the former Brighton boss some time to plot a route into Champions League qualification places for Chelsea. But, former Blues defender Robert Huth believes that the race could already be over with Potter incapable of competing with Mikel Arteta, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
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Speaking to Ladbrokes, as quoted by the Express, Huth said: "How many times do we see these kind of decisions being made, where a manager is losing their job a couple of days after the transfer window closing?
"Chelsea should really be close to the top four, but I just think in terms of the other managers at the top end of the table - without being disrespectful to Potter whatsoever - the likes of Pep, Klopp, Conte and Arteta, I think they're all ahead of him in terms of experience at this level.
"I fear that Chelsea will miss out on the top four. Potter's not had to compete for prizes, for trophies and for Champions League football before - not at this level. The top five or six teams in the division are very close in terms of quality on the pitch, but when it comes to the dugout, there are at least four other sides with more experienced managers which will be a massive advantage over the course of the season."
However, while Huth has cast doubt as to whether Potter is the man to secure Champions League qualification for Chelsea, he has sympathised with the Englishman - and Thomas Tuchel. Speaking on the German's exit, the former Leicester City title-winner said: "It's such a vital time for players and managers, so it just doesn't make sense to me.
"Whether or not something has gone on behind the scenes, I don't know. If you're [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, you're obviously looking forward to working with Tuchel again, and now it's gone out of the window and you're playing for a new guy. I can't make sense of it at all; it would have made much more sense if it happened before the season started, or if they gave him more time with this new group of players."
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