Chelsea set timeline to appoint Potter replacement

Tom Weber

• Updated: 4 Apr 2023 16:40 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have set an internal timeline to appoint a replacement for Graham Potter, but it could prove to be a problem.

Graham Potter was sacked after a less-than-impressive six months in charge of the Blues. With the club languishing in 11th, 12 points off the top four and below newly-promoted Fulham, Todd Boehly and company decided to finally pull the trigger after a 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa.

It was the latest episode of what can only be described as the Chelsea soap opera this season considering the €600 million spent on transfers, players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being unhappy and two managers getting the boot.

READ: The STAGGERING money Todd Boehly has spent on Chelsea managers

With the club still in the Champions League, Chelsea are keen to bring in a replacement before their game against Real Madrid on April 12. Indeed, the Champions League must be taken seriously by the Blues seeing as though winning it would guarantee a place in next season's competition with qualification via the Premier League looking increasingly unlikely.

Bruno Saltor in the Champions League?

The ideal scenario for Chelsea would be to find a replacement before April 12, and contact with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique has already been established if reports are to be believed. However, the Chelsea bosses are said to be wary of making another rushed, knee-jerk decision after the Potter debacle.

Therefore, they may just stick with interim boss Bruno Saltor. The former Brighton man has no prior head coaching experience, though, and it is believed that bringing in a proper Potter replacement would maximise the chances of success.

READ: Who is Bruno Saltor? Chelsea's new manager after Potter sacking

There is another problem. While Julian Nagelsmann appears to be the favourite for the job, Sky Sports claims that there are some worries within the club about his age. At 35, the German is still very young and there are fears that Chelsea players may not respect him, which was one of the reasons behind Potter's failure.

Additionally, Chelsea would potentially have to pay Bayern a hefty compensation as Nagelsmann is still technically under contract there, which would take their managerial expenses way beyond the €59m already squandered this season.