"I don’t think for one minute" - David James gives his take on Graham Potter's future as Chelsea manager
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James believes under-fire Chelsea manager Graham Potter has a certain level of 'protection' and is part of the Blues' long-term plans.
Since joining Chelsea in September of 2022 on a five-year contract worth £10 million, Graham Potter has struggled to hit the ground running with the Blues.
Despite spending over $350 million in the winter transfer window on high-profile signings like Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix, the Blues find themselves in 10th place in the Premier League.
Potter has failed to find his best starting XI and get his side playing consistently, with the main issue being a lack of goals. The Blues' form has been abysmal in 2023, with their only win in 10 games coming against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
However, former England international David James believes that Graham Potter and the club know what they are doing in a long-term project. He told GGRecon:
"The logic is that Graham Potter would have gone into Chelsea knowing how the club planned to go forward. I don’t think for one minute that he would have gone in there with the belief that they were going to sign players for two or three seasons, and then all of a sudden they would then turn into eight-year contracts."
"Therefore, I believe Chelsea would have got Graham Potter in with the plan of doing something over a longer period of time and there would have had to be some level of protection in there, whatever that protection is, that he wasn’t going to be sacked if things went wrong."
He added:
"I don't think there's a case for him to be sacked if there’s a long-term plan. I’ve been in the position myself where I’ve recruited a new team essentially, with a three-year plan, then after six months that gets torn up and I lose my position."
David James believes Chelsea manager Graham Potter will eventually 'get it right'
James vehemently defended Potter in the same interview, stating that it's only a matter of time before the English tactician turns the Blues' dismal form around. He said:
"If the owners are loyal and this is all part of the plan, then Graham will be fine. I don’t want to see him sacked because he’s a bright English manager and a really good person."
He continued:
"The problem that the rest of the Premier League will face is when Graham eventually gets it right, with the quality of players that he’s got, then they’re going to be capable of causing everybody problems. There will be a few clubs in competition with Chelsea that would rather he wasn’t there in six months' time if Chelsea are winning every game."