Graham Potter hits out over timing of Chelsea sacking and what it denied him

Graham Potter has revealed his deepest regret from his tenure at Chelsea by admitting that the lost chance to lead the team in their clash against Real Madrid still stings him today. The 49-year-old was handed the reins following Thomas Tuchel’s exit in September 2022.

Potter arrived with a sterling reputation, having led Brighton into Champions League positions before departing for Stamford Bridge, reports the Mirror.The Englishman entered Chelsea to find a side mid-transition, burdened by the task of integrating an abundance of new summer signings.

His challenge intensified as Chelsea didn’t hesitate to continue their spending spree in January, highlighted by Enzo Fernandez’s £106million move. Initially enjoying a successful run, remaining undefeated in his first nine matches, Potter’s subsequent record dipped acquiring just 28 points from 22 league outings.

Despite poor league form, Chelsea excelled in the Champions League, moving past Borussia Dortmund to set the stage for a quarter-final encounter with Real Madrid – a matchup Potter missed due to his dismissal, much to his disappointment.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Potter said: “I can’t lie, of course, it mattered to me it’s Real Madrid in the last eight of the Champions League,” and acknowledged the formidable opportunity, adding, “It was like, ‘what a game’. We actually felt we could do something. So that was disappointing.”

New interim boss Frank Lampard took the reins for the games against Real Madrid in his second stint in charge of Chelsea. The Blues were defeated 2-0 in both legs and there was no quick-fix for their indifferent league form either.

Sitting 11th at the time of Potter’s dismissal, Chelsea dropped to 12th by the end of the season, winning just one of their last nine games.

In the following two years, Chelsea have stuck to their transfer strategy and made an eye-watering number of signings, but current boss Enzo Maresca seems to have made progress by cutting players out of his plans. While Potter has waited patiently for the right opportunity since leaving the Blues, the ex-Brighton boss feels he has learned valuable lessons and suggested other factors also contributed to Chelsea’s struggles.

“I take responsibility for the results,” Potter added. “I’ve never said I’ve ever been perfect and you live and you learn, and you are grateful for the opportunity and grateful for the experience you had there. But there’s probably a context that has appeared.

“The easy solution is Chelsea aren’t winning, so it must be the coach who has never worked at this level before, he’s the problem. That might not be 100 per cent wrong, but it’s not 100 per cent right.”