By David Williams
Chelsea’ former Swansea City boss Graham Potter has the full support of the club’s hierarchy despite his side’s poor run of results.
The Blues have won just twice in 14 games in all competitions and were beaten by the Premier League’s bottom side Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Potter’s expensively-assembled side left the pitch amidst anger and a chorus of boos at full-time, with some voices near the dugout calling for the former Brighton manager to leave.
However, it’s understood that Potter – who left the Swans in 2019 to move to Brighton – maintains the backing of co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali ahead of Sunday’s London derby at Tottenham.
The club’s focus remains on the long term, with Boehly having sanctioned a huge transfer outlay in the January window.
Saturday’s starting XI featured five of the recent recruits and although Noni Madueke, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix showed moments of promise in midfield, they failed to produce the kind of link-up play that had been on display in recent weeks.
🎙️ "There will be people out there who think I'm the problem"
Although his side slumped to 1-0 defeat at the hands Southampton, Graham Potter still believes in his ability to turn Chelsea's fortunes around 💪 pic.twitter.com/q0zTySUDXo
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 19, 2023
Mykhailo Mudryk offered little when he came off the bench in the second half, while striker David Fofana did not look like the answer to the team’s goalscoring worries on his full debut. Chelsea has scored just once in their last five matches, Felix giving them the lead in a 1-1 draw at West Ham on February 11.
Speaking after the defeat to Southampton, Potter called for the club’s new signings to be given time to settle in England.
“We’ve invested in some young players, if you look at Enzo and Mudryk, at Madueke,” he said. “They haven’t played that many games. They’re learning to play in the Premier League. We’re managing quite an injury list, we’ve got players returning from injury.
“All these things are true. But unfortunately, when you lose they’re not what people want to hear.
“I know my quality and I know what I’ve done in my career. But I also understand that when results don’t go your way, you’re open to criticism and that’s fair.”
Read more about Graham Potter stories during his time as head coach at Swansea City
Graham Potter Says Fabianski, Mawson And Ayew Can Go If The Price Is Right