sport news Chelsea still backing Graham Potter despite Aston Villa defeat as pressure ... trends now
Not long after it appeared Chelsea had turned a corner, they have quickly found themselves back in a place they hoped they had seen the last of.
Looking worryingly and far too fragile and beatable again, fairly simple to frustrate at one end and trouble at the other leaving a forlorn Graham Potter under-fire from Chelsea fans once more.
But now they are back in that bad place with a shadow lurking in the background.
A Julian Nagelsmann-shaped shadow.
The sudden availability of one of Europe’s brightest young managers is the sort of development that has caught the attention of a number of clubs and not just Tottenham who have made the 35 year-old their No.1 target to replace Antonio Conte.
Graham Potter's Chelsea slipped to yet another Premier League defeat on Saturday
Goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn saw Aston Villa compound the pressure on Potter
Nagelsmann was expected to be out of reach for the rest of Europe’s elite clubs for some time after joining Bayern Munich on a five-year deal that was due to run until 2026.
But following his shock dismissal a surprise opportunity knocks for those who have been keeping an eye on his progress.
The word out of Chelsea following this ‘painful’, morale-sapping setback against Aston Villa was that it was business as usual. Their backing of Potter remains intact.
At the same time it would be no surprise if Chelsea’s owners, whose information gathering on key personnel from across the game in various departments is an ongoing process as they look to build up their knowledge of who’s who, had a tempted look in the Nagelsmann’s direction.
He is one manager who also has his admirers at Stamford Bridge.
A not too dissimilar scenario led to Nagelsmann being replaced at Bayern Munich despite his impressive record and a treble with the German giants still being up for grabs.
Thomas Tuchel being free after his Chelsea sacking in September and the prospect of him being offered a job elsewhere prompted Bayern chiefs to act when they were having a wobble about whether they had the right man.
Now it is
