Chelsea ‘knock on door’ of possible Potter replacement as Boehly tells Blues boss to ‘don tin hat’
Chelsea have Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner under consideration in case they make the decision to sack Graham Potter, according to one journalist.
The Blues were beaten by rock-bottom Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as the 1-0 defeat took Chelsea’s record to just two wins in their last 14 matches in all competitions.
Unsurprisingly that has seen pressure grow on Graham Potter – who replaced Thomas Tuchel in September last year – with fans booing him and the team after their loss to the Saints.
There have been reports since the result insisting that co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are still fully behind Potter after spending around £600m to revamp his squad over the last two transfer windows.
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Potter has numerous new faces to work with and still hasn’t got a settled side with the Daily Telegraph claiming that the Chelsea owners have told Potter to ‘don your tin hat and fight’ despite the boos.
The report added:
‘It is understood that Boehly is due to be at the Tottenham game, with Eghbali expected to watch the Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund matches after the pair witnessed the Southampton defeat at Stamford Bridge together.
‘Potter retains their faith, with insiders claiming the commitment of Boehly and Eghbali to the 47-year-old remains long-term, and that the preferred plan is to allow him to complete the season and then have a full campaign in charge of Chelsea before making any further evaluations.’
But Bild reporter Christian Falk insists that Frankfurt head coach Glasner has emerged as a potential replacement for Potter if Chelsea decide to fire the former Brighton man.
“I think Todd Boehly will try to hold on to Graham Potter for as long as he can given how dissatisfied fans were with the decision to axe Thomas Tuchel,” Falk wrote in his Caught Offside column.
“If Potter doesn’t improve Chelsea’s form in the league, however, Boehly may be forced to look at alternative managerial options anyway.
“We heard that already in the summer Chelsea knocked on Oliver Glasner’s door to see if there was any interest in joining the project in London as manager. It wasn’t so concrete and, in the end, they went with Potter.”
Falk added: “That being said, Boehly will have been very impressed with how Glasner won the Europa League with Frankfurt. If he has to get rid of Potter, Glasner could be a viable option. It’s worth remembering that Chelsea’s technical director, Christopher Vivell, did originate from RB Leipzig.
“When you’re coming from Red Bull’s coaching programme – everyone who graduates all hold a special philosophy – as Glasner has, you tend to share a similar view to current and former employees of a Red Bull club.
“So, you see, Vivell and Glasner have the same view on football, which is one good reason as to why he could be a hot topic at Chelsea if Potter gets sacked.”
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