Football News: Chelsea in search of new manager after sacking Graham Potter

Chelsea terminated manager Graham Potter after only seven months in command, with the Blues currently 11th in the Premier League table.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion manager took over from Thomas Tuchel in September and led the Blues to the Champions League quarter-finals in his brief tenure.

Potter went unbeaten in his first nine games in command of the West London club, but the Blues have since won only six of their past 22 games in all competitions.

Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, the club's co-owners, had faith in Potter for long time, but a 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa on Saturday evening proved the final straw.

In a statement, Boehly and Eghbali expressed their "utmost admiration" for Potter. Bruno Saltor has been appointed as the interim manager while the board searches for a permanent replacement.

"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,"

a statement read.

"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."

Chelsea signed Potter to a contract through the end of the 2026-27 season when he arrived in September, and the 47-year-old will be entitled to a large payment if he is fired.

Potter leaves Chelsea with a record of 12 wins, eight draws, and 11 loses from 31 games in command, averaging just 1.27 points per game in the Premier League - the joint-fewest for managers in charge of at least 20 top-flight games for Chelsea, behind Glenn Hoddle.

Potter's Chelsea had gone six games without a win in all competitions at the start of March, but the Englishman supervised a four-game unbeaten streak prior to the recent international break.

The Blues overcame a 1-0 deficit against Borussia Dortmund to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals against Real Madrid, but goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn gave Villa a merited 2-0 win on Saturday.

Potter leaves with Chelsea 13 points behind Manchester United - who have a game in hand - in the final Champions League berth, and Saltor's first game in charge is against Liverpool at home on Tuesday night.

Potter is the second Premier League manager to resign in as many hours, following Brendan Rodgers' departure from Leicester City by mutual consent earlier on Sunday.

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