LONDON (AFP) – Chelsea’s new owners have been quick to try and put their stamp on the club, but the Blues hot seat remains one of the most precarious in football as Graham Potter was sacked as manager on Sunday.
Potter lasted just seven months in the job as the Englishman paid the price for slipping to 11th in the Premier League table.
That was not the return the club’s American ownership group was expecting after investing over GBP500 million (USD616 million) in new players in their first season in charge, on top of the GBP2.5 billion they paid for the club.
The consortium headed by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali of private equity firm Clearlake Capital have now dismissed two managers in their debut campaign.
Thomas Tuchel was jettisoned in September despite his achievements on the field, in winning the Champions League in 2021, and off it as he deftly handled the difficulties of last season when sanctions were imposed on the club due to the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
A hire-and-fire culture at Stamford Bridge is nothing new after Abramovich’s 19-year reign between 2003 and 2022.
The Russian showed no mercy to even illustrious managers such as Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte, who won Premier League titles during their time at Chelsea.
Despite the disruption in the dugout, Chelsea fans were still spoiled by success during the Abramovich era with 19 major trophies.
That has so far not been the case under the new regime.
Potter won just 12 of his 31 matches in charge as Chelsea crashed out of both the League and FA Cup in the early rounds to Manchester City and find themselves rooted in the bottom half of the Premier League.
Only Champions League success can salvage the season, but they face a difficult route to the final.
The Blues take on holders Real Madrid in the quarter-finals later this month with the winners progressing to a last four clash against City or Bayern Munich.
