Chelsea have sacked head coach Graham Potter, a statement from the club has confirmed. The Blues made the announcement on Sunday, barely 24 hours after a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa.
"Chelsea FC has announced that Graham Potter has departed the club," the statement read.
"Graham has agreed to collaborate with the Club to facilitate a smooth transition. In his time with the club, Graham has taken us to the quarter final of the Champions League, where we will face Real Madrid. Chelsea would like to thank Graham for all his efforts and contribution and wish him well for the future."
In the meantime, Bruno Saltor will take charge of the team as Interim Head Coach. Co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali subsequently expressed their gratitude for Potter in the farewell statement. They said: "On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea. We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome.
"Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season. We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."
It remains unclear who will take over the mantle as Chelsea's new coach although former Bayern Munich head coach is said to be fancied by the Blues' hierarchy. Meanwhile, according to reports, Potter is expected to receive regular severance unrelated to the remaining duration of the five years contract signed on joining the Blues from Brighton in September 2022. Also, most of his staff are expected to remain at the club until exhaustive process to recruit new head coach is complete.
More to follow...
