Graham Potter has claimed that Chelsea is the toughest job in the sport. The head coach made the statement during a recent press conference in which he talked about the Roman Abramovich era, new ownership, and the injury crisis currently at the club.
Abramovich owned the Premier League team for nearly two decades. The Russian oligarch was, however, pushed out due to his ties with Vladimir Putin. During his reign in west London, Abramovich was notorious for keeping his coaches on a short leash. He also wasn’t afraid to splash the cash as well.
Potter proclaims challenges with Chelsea job
“This club was run a certain way for 20 years and run really well,” said Potter. “I have a lot of respect for the previous ownership and what they achieved. Unfortunately, they’re not here anymore and you’ve lost all that leadership. Everything has changed pretty quickly. We have to build things up again.”
“I understood that things would be difficult from a leadership perspective. It is a challenge, stimulating and ridiculously hard. I think it is probably the hardest job in football because of that leadership change and the expectations… because of, rightly, where people see Chelsea. I obviously didn’t think we’d lose 10 first-team players [to injury].”
American business Todd Boehly has come in as the new owner and has attempted to take over where Abramovich left off. Like the Russian, Boehly has not been afraid to spend money. In fact, the Blues currently have a net spend of about $322 million so far this season. This includes massive deals for Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, and Raheem Sterling.
The team injury list is growing
Injuries have certainly been an issue throughout the season for Potter though. He will be without nine senior players for their short trip to Fulham on Thursday. However, the English coach could have a new loan signing Joao Felix at his disposal for the London derby. Other January signings David Datro Fofana and Benoit Badiashile should also be in the squad for the match as well.
Potter will need to right the ship as soon as possible if he wants to remain with the club. Boehly has also already shown that he can, like Abramovich, fire coaches at will. The American appointed Potter after sacking Thomas Tuchel just a month into the current campaign. Chelsea are in 10th place in the Premier League table at the moment.
PHOTO: IMAGO / News Images
.