When will Graham Potter take charge of his first Chelsea match?
FT Desk
- 9 Sept 2022 13:20 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea appointed Graham Potter as the team’s new head coach just a day after sacking previous boss Thomas Tuchel as they look to get back into form.
Tuchel was believed to have a complicated relationship with the new Chelsea hierarchy, and a decision was made to sack him after a poor start to the campaign.
Chelsea have lost Premier League matches against Leeds United and Southampton, while their Champions League campaign started off with a defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on the opening day.
To replace him, Chelsea have hired Potter, who is admired by Sporting Director and co-owner Todd Boehly for his work at Brighton and the Blues were quick to make a move for him.
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A move for Potter was made quickly due to the club wanting him to be in charge as fast as possible – the hope was that he’ll be in the dugout for the league match against Fulham on Saturday afternoon.
However, the unexpected death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday evening led to the Premier League postponing all the matches this weekend and on Monday.
Potter’s debut with Chelsea will now be on Wednesday, which will also be his debut in the competition proper of the Champions League, as the Blues take on Red Bull Salzburg.
Chelsea will be hoping to get their European hopes back on track following their defeat in Zagreb last week, and the game will also be a chance for Potter to meet the Chelsea faithful for the first time.
Chelsea will not be holding Graham Potter's unveiling press conference today given the country has entered a period of mourning following the death of The Queen.
— Adam Newson (@AdamNewson) September 9, 2022
Chelsea were planning to unveil Potter to the media on Friday afternoon, but have postponed a media conference as a mark of respect for the Queen.
There’s a possibility that next weekend’s league fixtures are postponed as well, which means that Potter may have to wait for his league debut until after the international break, which is in October.
Chelsea face Crystal Palace after the international break, and that is likely to be Potter’s first Premier League match in charge of the Blues.
Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea
