‘He cost Chelsea €92m in six months!’ – Potter mocked by pundits amid Ajax rumours

Robin Bairner

• 26 Apr 2024 10:50 BST
• 3 min read

Graham Potter’s performance at Chelsea has been slammed in the Netherlands, where pundits cannot believe Ajax would be willing to take a chance on him as their next head coach.

Potter has rejected Ajax’s initial contract offer because it does not reach his financial expectations, yet there is a sense of disbelief that the Amsterdam club would take a gamble on the Englishman to replace John van ’t Schip due to his costly Chelsea failure.

Although the chances of him landing the job have diminished, they have not disappeared, and pundit Rene van der Gijp has questioned the logic of the Eredivisie giants.

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“Isn't it better for him to just buy Ajax?” presenter Wilfred Genee joked on the Vandaag Inside show.

Van der Gijp joined in: “Jesus, that Graham Potter... He cost Chelsea €92 million in six months!”

“He got about €34m when they paid him off and they paid €30m to Brighton to get him.

“I believe he earned €16m a year there as a salary.”

READ MORE: Chelsea players' stance on sacking Pochettino revealed

Although the pundit’s maths may be off, there is little doubt that Potter proved a costly mistake for Chelsea before his sacking in April 2023.

The manager’s reputation, though, remains strong. He has turned down numerous jobs, including Nice and Lyon, while he continues to be linked with Manchester United should Erik ten Hag be sacked.

Ten Hag to Ajax played down

Ten Hag is also seen as a candidate to take charge of Ajax along with Nice boss Francesco Farioli, yet the prospect of the Manchester United manager making a triumphant return to Amsterdam has been played down for much the same reasons as Potter is being doubted.

“He has the same expectations too! He would be extremely suitable for Ajax, but he is now also in a salary scale...", former Netherlands international Johan Derksen added. "If they now have to pay a Dutch salary to work, they think all they’re getting is a tip."