Julian Nagelsmann, who was dismissed as Bayern Munich’s coach a week ago, has become the leading candidate to replace Graham Potter at Chelsea. Potter had signed a five-year deal as Thomas Tuchel’s successor in September 2022 but was released from his contract just seven months later after winning only seven of his 22 Premier League games in charge. Chelsea’s senior members had wanted to fire Potter as early as January. According to Sky Sports News, Potter’s assistant, Billy Reid, has also left the club. Chelsea’s assistant coach, Bjorn Hamberg, and goalkeeper coach, Ben Roberts, will remain at the club and assist interim head coach Bruno Saltor, who has been appointed in the wake of Potter’s departure. The Blues are scheduled to face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals later this month.
Despite Chelsea’s claims that they were hiring an innovative coach who believes in their vision, Graham Potter’s career and the club’s approach, especially in terms of recruitment, were different. Sky Sports’ Melissa Reddy expressed her thoughts on the matter. Chelsea had tried to lure Mauricio Pochettino twice before and was one of three known Premier League clubs that were pursuing Roberto De Zerbi, who succeeded Potter at Brighton.
Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Potter in the long term, but it is unclear whether the 35-year-old German is ready to move to London at the moment. Sky Germany has reported that Nagelsmann may prefer to wait until the summer before taking up another position. Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports News’ chief reporter, has said that Chelsea has been trying to identify a replacement and is keen on Nagelsmann, who is presently available. However, he emphasized that it is uncertain whether Nagelsmann is prepared to relocate to Chelsea at this time.
Although the decision to sack Potter was primarily influenced by his poor results, it was not the sole reason. The Stamford Bridge board, which had authorized a £300 million spending spree in the January transfer window, no longer saw the desired level of progress and could no longer endure the lack of development. The defeat to Aston Villa, which left the Blues 11th in the Premier League table, was the final straw that led to Potter’s firing.
