Chelsea players were “stunned and worried” to hear the news of Graham Potter’s sacking through the club’s public statement on Sunday night, according to reports.
Many expected an early end to Potter‘s spell at Chelsea, but there were very few indications that this would happen before Tuesday’s clash with Liverpool.
All the earlier reports suggested that Potter was expected to be in charge of the team against Liverpool, which would have made sense considering the limited preparation time after Saturday’s defeat to Aston Villa.
The Telegraph suggests that the Chelsea players did not expect the news, either.
The report claims that “stunned and worried” Chelsea players contacted their agents after noticing Potter’s departure through the club’s surprise statement.
Just hours before, the club also reportedly sent out a media advisory that Potter would be present for Monday’s pre-match press conference as usual.
Potter himself likely expected that he would still at least be given the Liverpool game, too.
After Saturday’s defeat, Ruben Loftus-Cheek highlighted how the former Brighton manager told his players to regain their focus ahead of the big match.
“The gaffer in the dressing room straight away said that we have a lot of games this month, important ones that we need to be ready for and dwelling on this will certainly not help, especially with Liverpool coming up,” the midfielder told Chelsea’s official website when speaking about Potter.
“So we need to put this behind us as quickly as possible, obviously analyse the game, but then move on and be ready for Liverpool.”
This would hopefully still be the case despite Potter’s exit. Bruno Saltor, who joined Chelsea alongside Potter earlier this season, is now in charge of the team as an interim head coach.
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