Graham Potter could receive a record payout for a managerial dismissal if Chelsea opt to sack the 47-year-old. The currently Blues boss has struggled in west London since taking over from Thomas Tuchel in September.
The Blues lost their third game in succession last weekend, courtesy of a 2-0 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, extending their winless run to six. Second-half goals from Oliver Skipp and Harry Kane condemned the manager to a 10th defeat in his 26 matches in charge.
Now, with pressure intensifying on the Chelsea manager, the Mirror reports that Todd Boehly would have to pay the former Brighton boss £50million if he was to take the decision to sack him.
This would be in addition to the £22m paid in compensation to Brighton to acquire his, and a five-man backroom team’s, services back in September. That was also a world record fee, as Potter was released from his contract to sign an unprecedented five-year deal at Stamford Bridge, worth about £60m.
Should Potter have his contract prematurely terminated, the potential £50m payout would be almost double that of the highest sum paid during Roman Abramovich’s tenure, with £26.6m paid to Antonio Conte and his staff in 2018. However, chairman Todd Boehly remains intent on giving the current manager sufficient time to turn the club’s fortunes around.
While the hierarchy appears willing to persist in the Potter project, supporters’ patience is wearing thin. In the wake of Chelsea’s latest defeat, thousands of fans have signed a petition demanding the head coach to be removed, just a matter of days after Potter revealed how the job has taken its toll on his mental health.
