Why Nagelsmann replacing Potter at Chelsea makes perfect sense

Ronan Murphy

• 28 Mar 2023 14:59 BST
• 3 min read

Julian Nagelsmann is out of work. Chelsea are in a conundrum with their current manager. It didn’t take long for the links to be made.

Graham Potter may have led Chelsea into the quarterfinals of the Champions League, but that has only papered over the cracks. There is still a huge number of Chelsea fans who want him out and are not happy with the recent displays, feeling that he’s had enough time to turn things around.

Tottenham are reportedly eyeing Nagelsmann, having just seen Antonio Conte out of the door, but the German wants to have the rest of the season off following his departure from Bayern Munich, a sacking - or dismissal, as the club say - that shook the football world given how well he had done there, at least on the outside looking in.

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If results continue this way for Chelsea, the exit of Potter would be considered inevitable. And should they bring in Nagelsmann, he would be back working with a man who helped him forge a successful tenure at RB Leipzig.

Laurence Stewart was appointed Chelsea technical director last year before being bumped up to co-sporting director with Paul Winstanley.

The Englishman’s previous credentials include AS Monaco, at Everton as a senior recruitment co-ordinator, and at Manchester City, where he was the head of performance analysis.

The Leipzig connection

And, more pointedly, was also head of scouting at RB Leipzig when Nagelsmann was in the dugout. It’s there that the pair worked together and found great success, having signed the likes of Wolves’ Matheus Cunha and Christopher Nkunku, whose move to Chelsea looks to be signed and sealed.

They also captured Dominik Szoboszlai from cousin club RB Salzburg and the pair brought through the likes of Tyler Adams, of Leeds, and Hee-Chan Hwang, also now at Wolves.

It bodes well to curb the scattergun approach that the Blues have been using over the past year.

Indeed, It’s proved a fruitful relationship before and it’s one that could work well again at Stamford Bridge, though Potter’s future looks secure for the time being at least.