Frank Leboeuf believes Graham Potter’s position at Chelsea is far from being safe despite the win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16.
The two consecutive wins against Leeds United and Dortmund clearly take some of the pressure off Potter.
He reportedly retains the support of the club owners and the board, while Kai Havertz insisted that the players are also “100 per cent” behind the manager.
Leboeuf, however, believes that qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals could be both good and bad news for Potter.
“I don’t think so,” the former France international told ESPN FC when asked if Potter has secured his job until the summer at Chelsea.
“If they lose the next two games, maybe it’d be time for the board to [consider their options] for the next season.
“Although I don’t think the club want to change the manager because of the current Champions League campaign, but if they felt there is something that they cannot resolve, they’d get rid of Potter.
“It happened in 2012 and the last time they won the Champions League.
“In fact, Potter [faces a bigger risk] if they [the board] feel that this team can win the Champions League.”
Leboeuf had a point, depending on the quarter-final draw, the prospect of winning the Champions League could give the Chelsea board a good reason to appoint a new manager.
That said, it seems unlikely that after replacing Thomas Tuchel — who had a proven record in bringing short-term success — with Potter, the club owners would appoint another manager just to win the European tournament.
If they did change the manager, it would likely be because they had found someone whom they can trust to lead the club’s long-term plan.
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