Potter admits he joined Chelsea at the ‘wrong time’

Graham Potter has admitted the timing of his switch from Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea could have been better, but he has no regrets about making the move.

The Blues paid big money to take Potter and five members of his backroom staff from Brighton in September 2022, but the move did not work out.

Potter oversaw a £323 million investment on new players during the winter transfer window but was subsequently dismissed in April 2023.

He won just 12 of his 31 games in charge, leaving Chelsea languishing in 11th position in the Premier League at the time of his dismissal.

By contrast, former club Brighton flourished after Potter left the Amex Stadium and ended the season by claiming a place in the Europa League.

Speaking to David Seaman’s ‘Seaman Says’ podcast, via Betway, Potter says he could not turn down the chance to manage Chelsea despite what he left behind.

“When we left, we felt the team was probably, pound-for-pound, the best squad in the Premier League in terms of the players that were there,” Potter said.

“Leandro Trossard, Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo, Robert Sanchez, Lewis Dunk, Pascal Gross – it was a top team and they were fourth in the table. It was early season, but we had got them into that point.

“In some ways, you want to see out that point, but at the same time, you look through your life and you have these opportunities, and you live and you learn.

“If I had my time again, would I do something different? Who knows? But the opportunity came up, I liked the sound of what they were trying to do, and it felt like I wanted to give it a go, but it was with a heavy heart and an acknowledgement that it wasn’t brilliant timing.”

Potter’s reputation undoubtedly suffered at Chelsea. He was expected to lead the club into a new era but failed miserably to handle the weight of expectations.

Chelsea’s scattergun approach in the transfer market did not help Potter. After their outlay in the 2023 winter transfer window, the Blues had 31 first-team players on their books.

Six games without a win across late January to the end of February cranked up the pressure on Potter and he never really recovered from that run of results.

A series of questionable decisions exposed Potter’s lack of ‘big club’ experience, so it was no surprise when he was sacked after a 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa.

Chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ by Chelsea fans during the game were a brutal reminder of the pressures attached to management at the top level.

“Until you’ve been at those clubs, you don’t know what it’s like,” Potter added. “Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool – at these clubs, there’s a different level of expectations, a different level of spotlight.

“It’s a bit like when you go from the Championship to the Premier League – you can’t get away from that difference. I just look back at it as an incredible learning opportunity.

“I probably went at the wrong time, in terms of where Chelsea were at that point. But again, I’m grateful for that opportunity and the experience.

“Not so long back I’d lost my mum, I’d lost my dad, so you just realise that life isn’t that easy, it’s precious, and there are only opportunities, and you’ve got to look at them.”