BOEHLY AND CO RETAIN FAITH IN STRUGGLING POTTER
GRAHAM POTTER is still seen by the powers-that-be at Chelsea as the right man to oversee the rebuild of the club, despite his side’s poor run of form. Chelsea’s new owners are intent on overhauling the club from top to bottom and Potter was picked as he aligned with their short-term and long-term plans. That belief in Potter remains intact despite the Blues’ current struggles, with the 47-year-old not considered to be under any pressure from those above. However, Sportsmail understands there have been concerns behind the scenes about some players not fully buying into his training methods. Chelsea face Fulham on Thursday and although defeat would not leave Potter in any immediate danger, the owners will hope for signs of improvement at Craven Cottage.
The signing of the talented Portuguese winger Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid will be a boost to Potter. Chelsea moved to beat Manchester United and Arsenal to the forward on a loan deal until the end of the season. The Blues will pay Atletico a fee of around £9million and also cover the 23-year-old’s wages.
Potter is in regular contact with Boehly and fellow co-owner Behdad Eghbali, who are understood to have reiterated what they said at the outset — that this project is a long-term one and they accept that rebuilding will take time.
Potter was handed a five-year deal when appointed in September. He has only been in charge for four months, a period that includes the World Cup break. And Chelsea chiefs understand he has been dealing with an injury crisis that left him without 10 senior players for Sunday’s FA Cup defeat at the Etihad.
There is also an acknowledgement that Chelsea’s squad is unbalanced and needs revamping. The owners spent around £270m in the summer, have invested further in this window to sign £35m defender Benoit Badiashile, £8m striker David Datro Fofana, £18m midfielder Andrey Santos and Felix, and remain in the market for more signings this month. Sources have told Sportsmail how a squad overhaul could be key for Potter as, although there are no questions about his players’ quality, there are doubts over whether some of his stars will carry out his instructions.
Moving on players will represent a challenge though, with most on big salaries. There are also concerns that attracting the calibre of player Chelsea need will be hampered by failing to qualify for the Champions League. England midfielders Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, for example, will want to play on Europe’s biggest stage.
The club have shown their support for Potter by letting him influence the building of their new recruitment team. There has been a lot of turnover within Chelsea’s set-up since their American takeover. Christopher Vivell has come in as technical director and Paul Winstanley as director of global talent and transfers. They will steer Chelsea through the January window. The summer transfer window was overseen by Boehly, who stood in as interim sporting director. Recruitment specialist Kyle Macaulay followed Potter to Chelsea from Brighton and two other new additions, technical director Laurence Stewart and co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields, will join the new-look team next month.