Potter ‘alarmed’ Chelsea owners by picking struggling player; sacked boss tipped for Leicester job

Graham Potter startled the Chelsea owners by picking Hakim Ziyech in their defeat to Tottenham in February, according to reports.

with Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and the rest of the Blues hierarchy making the choice to sack him following their 2-0 loss to Aston Villa.

The defeat saw Unai Emery’s men leapfrog Chelsea and plunge Potter’s side into the bottom half of the Premier League table.

There has been some sympathy for Potter after the Blues spent almost £600m on new players over the last two transfer windows with the Englishman expected to bed in 17 new signings.

Reports earlier on Monday claimed that and that some had nicknames, such as Harry Potter, for the former Brighton manager.

And now the Daily Telegraph claims that the Chelsea owners ‘wanted a demonstration of progress and remained supportive of their head coach, but Potter’s decisions ultimately made that position impossible and his own position practically untenable’.

The report adds:

‘Like the decision to not only start Hakim Ziyech against Tottenham Hotspur, but then leave him on the pitch for the start of the second half after the winger had done his best to get sent off.

‘Ziyech had only been an email away from leaving Chelsea on transfer deadline day in January, having travelled to Paris without the club’s position, so his inclusion set alarm bells ringing.’

Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen thinks Potter will move onto another job quickly and wouldn’t be surprised if he took the vacant position at Leicester City.

Owen wrote on Twitter: “It’s sacking season in the Premier League.

“You could make a case for Rodgers going to Chelsea and Potter going to Leicester.”

Brendan Rodgers was sacked by the Foxes yesterday after they threw away a one-goal lead against Crystal Palace on Saturday with the Eagles .

The defeat means Leicester are 19th in the Premier League table and one point adrift of 17th-placed Leeds United with ten games of the season to go.

Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement: “The achievements of the team under Brendan’s management speak for themselves – we’ve experienced some of our finest footballing moments under his guidance and will always be grateful to him and his staff for the heights they helped us to reach on the pitch.

“Off the pitch, Brendan embraced the culture of the Club and helped cultivate an outstanding developmental environment, particularly during the transition to Seagrave, and provided strong leadership during the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.

“His place in Leicester City history is assured.

“However performances and results during the current season have been below our shared expectations.

“It had been our belief that continuity and stability would be key to correcting our course, particularly given our previous achievements under Brendan’s management.

“Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with 10 games of the season remaining, the board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status.

“The task ahead of us in our final 10 games is clear. We now need to come together – fans, players and staff – and show the poise, quality and fight to secure our position as a Premier League club.”