ex-Chelsea manager Graham Potter decides against making an instant return to management amid interests from Leicester City
47-year-old Graham Potter signed a lucrative five-year contract with Chelsea to succeed Thomas Tuchel back in September. However, the manager was sacked after winning only 12 of his 31 games in charge.
Intringuily, Chelsea’s decision to part with Potter came hours after Leicester announced that they had reached an agreement which would see Brendan Rodgers depart the club by mutual consent. Leicester are long-term admirers of Potter. However, any hopes they may have had of luring him to the King Power Stadium before end of the season have been dashed.
According to reports, Potter has decided to recharge his batteris over the next couple months. Regardless, the Foxes can still follow up on their interest in Potter at the end of the season after indentifying him as a perfect replacement for Rodgers.
Potter could have his pick of Premier League jovs at the end of the season if Leicester retains the interest in appointing him. Crystal Palace are also likely to be searching for a permanent manager after turning to Roy Hodgson until end of the season. The side are also admirers of Poter who could also feature on Tottenham’s shortlist to replace Antonio Conte.
Leicester has however confirmed that first-team coach Adam Sadler and goalkeeping coach Mike Stowell will take charge in the interim as they battle off the relegation. Despite that, former Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez is a potential candidate to fill the head coach role on a short term basis until the end of the season.
On to Chelsea, a host of candidates have been linked with the Stamford Bridge vacancy. Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino are two candidates likely to be sounded out by the Blues. Similarly, Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique has been identified as the preferred candidate for the job.
The 52-year-old is currently unattached after standing down from his role with the Spanish national team following their World Cup elimination. He has also been linked with the vacancy at Tottenham Hotspur.