The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjami
Paul Merson has claimed that Graham Potter would have been sacked as Chelsea manager a long time ago if Roman Abramovich was still owner of the club.
The Englishman has endured a tricky spell at Stamford Bridge since arriving from Brighton in September to replace the sacked Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Leeds on Saturday provided a slight relief for Potter, who has come under significant pressure at the club.
The Blues have won just two out of their 12 games in 2023, while they have also faced a chronic goal shortage – netting just seven times in 17 matches since the start of November.
They currently sit in 10th place in the Premier League and are 11 points off the Champions League places, but Potter has so far maintained the faith of the Todd Boehly-led regime at the club.
Paul Merson claimed Chelsea manager Graham Potter would have been sacked a long time ago if Roman Abramovich was still owner of the club
Merson said the major problem at the club was the bloated squad the Blues are faced with
Former Arsenal star Merson believes that if there was a different ownership such as Abramovich still in charge, Potter would never have been afforded such patience.
‘If Roman Abramovich was still there, it doesn’t take Einstein to work out, Graham Potter would have been a distant memory,’ Merson told Sky Sports.
In March last year, Abramovich – who was known to be ruthless when sacking managers – was forced to put the club up for sale after close to two decades as owner following sanctions imposed on him by the UK Government in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After alleging that he maintained ties to Vladimir Putin, Downing Street subsequently froze the entirety of Abramovich’s UK assets, including Chelsea, forcing him to engineer a swift exit and wave goodbye to the club.
A Boehly-led consortium took over the club in May following a lengthy process in a £4.25bn takeover.