‘There were contacts’: Chelsea spoke to 50-year-old coach before appointing Potter, now he wants the job

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Chelsea did approach Mauricio Pochettino for the vacant managerial job earlier this season and might revisit this avenue soon.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Stamford Bridge chain of command spoke to both Pochettino and Graham Potter after Thomas Tuchel was sacked, but opted for the latter.

Todd Boehly and his team might be regretting their decision not to hire the former Tottenham Hotspur boss after Potter’s unravelling as the man in the hot seat.

Graham Potter plunges into despair

Under the latest coach, Chelsea are enduring one of the worst periods in their Premier League history.

They have won just two of their last ten league outings, a fall from grace that has left them 10^th in the table.

Not since the dark days of Jose Mourinho’s second spell in South West London have the Blues suffered so miserably.

Mourinho was sacked in December with the team in 16^th, just a point above the relegation zone, following a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City.

Almost eight-years to the day, Potter has suffered his latest set-back as the Chelsea boss, a 2-1 defeat to Fulham.

Now staring down the barrel of the gun, many are wondering how long the Englishman has left in charge of the 2021 Champions League winners.

Romano insists that he still has the backing of the board, but this most recent failure might have them at least considering other options.

“As of now, Chelsea are still protecting their manager Graham Potter. There is no change in their position – this is as of a few minutes after the defeat to Fulham last night,” said the transfer guru.

“There were contacts with both Mauricio Pochettino and Potter when Chelsea decided to replace Thomas Tuchel, but Potter was the top priority.”

Is Mauricio Pochettino the right pick for Chelsea?

Despite his links to Spurs, some fans would jump at the chance of pulling Pochettino back to the capital.

He has pedigree as an elite manager, having consistently challenged for the top four with Tottenham.

The 50-year-old may have suffered at Paris Saint-Germain, but there is no denying he remains one of the great modern footballing minds.

It’s recently been claimed he’d like to take the Chelsea job if it presented itself.

If Potter is axed, then Pochettino might be well be the man walking through the front doors at Cobham.