Graham Potter contract: How much will his sacking cost Chelsea?
Graham Potter's sacking is set to cost Chelsea a massive amount of money. The Blues announced their decision to sack Potter on Sunday (April 2) after a 2-0 home defeat in the Premier League to Aston Villa a day earlier.
Potter, who arrived in September, took charge of the team for 31 games, winning 12, losing ten and drawing eight. He penned a five-year deal that was worth £12 million per year. Hence, the total cost of the contract was £60 million. The Blues needed to buy out the remainder of Potter's contract to sack him.
Considering Potter already served half a year, the total procedure is set to cost close to £50 million. Considering the fact that the Blues spent almost £600 million in the transfer window this season, they're set to incur another massive financial expense.
Potter also brought a few back room staff members with him to Chelsea. The club are expected to pay them off as well, meaning the expense could be well north of £60 million.
Acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino are among the frontrunners to be recruited as the new Blues manager. He said:
"Julian Nagelsmann is the favourite candidate to replace Graham Potter as new Chelsea head coach, as reported yesterday. Nagelsmann was mentioned yesterday during internal discussions — Julian is considered a talented coach. Talks are ongoing to make best decision."
Chelsea co-owners reacted to Graham Potter's sacking
The Blues just didn't manage to get going under Potter. While there were encouraging patches on occasions, those were too few and far between.
With a massive UEFA Champions League last eight clash against Real Madrid coming up, one might understand why Todd Boehly wanted to get rid of Potter. Co-owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali issued a statement (via the Blues' website):
"On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea. We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity, and we are all disappointed in this outcome."
They added:
"Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season. We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarterfinal ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."
Fans will keep a keen eye on who becomes Chelsea's next manager after Graham Potter's tenure came to an end.