It is somewhat ironic that Chelsea have spent over £500m on transfer since the summer and yet they can’t buy a win right now. The Blues have won just two of their previous 15 Premier League outings. This poor run extends to four wins across 20 matches if you include all competitions.
Graham Potter’s side are marooned in mid-table, 14 points off the Champions League places, and just 10 clear of the relegation zone. Manchester City knocked them out of the FA Cup while they lost the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 clash against Borussia Dortmund.
The defeat to Spurs on Sunday means Chelsea are winless in six and the pressure is already mounting on Potter just six months into his spell at Stamford Bridge. Under former owner Roman Abramovich, Potter would’ve already been dismissed. His ruthless approach kept the Blues at the summit of English football throughout his time with the club, and supporters have become accustomed to reactions when things aren’t going well.
But new owner Todd Boehly appears to be adopting a different approach.
On the day of Potter’s appointment, Boehly was clear that the former Brighton manager was his man, saying: "We are thrilled to bring Graham to Chelsea. He is a proven coach and an innovator in the Premier League who fits our vision for the Club.
"Not only is he extremely talented on the pitch, he has skills and capabilities that extend beyond the pitch which will make Chelsea a more successful Club. He has had a major impact at his previous Clubs and we look forward to his positive impact at Chelsea. We look forward to supporting him, his coaching team and the squad in realising their full potential in the coming months and years."
On the surface, this seems like a quote that most owners give following the unveiling of a new manager. However, there are keywords and phrases in there such as "our vision" and "coming months and years".
This was not a short-term appointment and Potter very much bought into what Boehly wants to do with the club in the long term. The signings point to that too.
Of those who have arrived under Bohely’s ownership, only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling are over 26. Chelsea have spent big now in the hope that they will be reaping the rewards down the line.
Given this was their strategy, there was always going to be a period of transition. Some teams struggle to bed in three new starters into a team, Potter has been tasked with getting six January signings up to speed while still trying to put his stamp on the team himself.
It was, and still is, an impossible task and Boehly clearly realises this. It is why he’s backing his manager.
Ultimately, it isn’t Potter’s fault. He inherited a number of players who hadn’t settled into life at Stamford Bridge, and he watched on as the recruitment team added more to the mix. He is basically having to gel an entire squad together during the season.
None of the players know his playing or managerial style. There aren’t any foundations there for new signings to use either. It isn’t as extreme as starting a new team from scratch, but there can‘t be many examples of this type of player turnover under a new manager.
The starting XI against Spurs contained four new signings, a player who would be at PSG had Chelsea got the paperwork sorted in time and a goalkeeper who was essentially blacklisted under Thomas Tuchel. Then, of the five subs made by Potter, four only joined the club this season.
Any manager would struggle in these circumstances, this isn’t an issue exclusive to Potter and pretending it is doesn’t benefit anybody. Jurgen Klopp prefers to give new signings a few months outside of the starting XI to get up to speed with his ideas while players are usually into their second season before they understand the complexities of Pep Guardiola-ball.
Chelsea haven’t written off this season, but everything does seem to point to them realising it is a transitional campaign. Getting as many players in as possible to give them six months under Potter before pre-season gives the club the best chance of a successful 2023/24 campaign. Getting rid of the one-time Swansea manager just means the process has to start all over again.
