Graham Potter: Chelsea sack was 'the best thing that happened to me'

Tom Weber

Updated: 2 Feb 2025 12:31 CST
3 min read

Graham Potter, Chelsea, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

West Ham head coach Graham Potter has opened up on his dire spell at Chelsea and does not regret this 'learning experience' at all.

The 49-year-old returned to the dugout last month as he replaced Julen Lopetegui at West Ham. Potter had been out of a job for almost two years after his sacking by Chelsea in April 2022 following a brief but intense spell at Stamford Bridge.

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Potter had succeeded Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea and arrived with a sparkling reputation as his career had been on a brilliant upward trajectory for years. The tactician joined the Blues from Brighton, with Chelsea paying north of €20 million in compensation to sign him.

However, his appointment quickly turned into a nightmare as Potter was unable to properly get a tune out of Chelsea's bloated squad, which only got bigger during a historic January 2023 window in which they splashed a British record €121 million on Enzo Fernandez as part of a €330m spending spree.

Potter ultimately only lasted seven months in West London, losing 11 of his 31 matches in charge. He was sacked with the Blues languishing in 11th in the Premier League table.

Potter on Chelsea sack

Now, the West Ham boss has opened up on this tumultuous experience and insists that it was a valuable learning experience. "You know in a football life you're going to get ups and downs," he said.

"I didn't want to lose my job. But at the same time, I look back now and maybe it's the best thing that happened to me. Maybe the next 10-20 years is going to be great because of the experience I've had. I just look at it as a learning experience.

"I've got no bad feelings towards Chelsea, I've still got a lot of good relationships with the people there. I'm just looking forward to the journey I'm on now with West Ham at this great club and getting that connection with the supporters, working with the team and building something that we're really excited about and proud about here."