Graham Potter sacked by Chelsea

Chelsea have sacked manager Graham Potter after less than seven months in charge following Saturday's 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa.

It was the Englishman's 11th defeat in 31 games since replacing Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge on 8 September.

Chelsea, who have spent more than £550m on new players, are searching for their third manager of the season.

The Blues are in the bottom half of the Premier League after their latest loss - and 12 points off the top four.

Chelsea say Potter "has agreed to collaborate with the club to facilitate a smooth transition" and that Bruno Saltor will take charge of the team as interim head coach.

In a statement, co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person.

"He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome."

Chelsea host Liverpool in the Premier League on Tuesday and face Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on 12 April.

There have now been a 13 managerial changes in the Premier League this season, with Leicester sacking manager Brendan Rodgers earlier on Sunday.

'Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season," the Chelsea owners added.

"We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter-final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."

Potter replaced Tuchel, who won three trophies in 20 months at Stamford Bridge, in September when the Blues were sixth in the top flight following a summer during which they spent £255m on transfers.

Owner Boehly went on another remarkable spending spree in January, shelling out £288m.

That saw Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez and Ukraine forward Mykhailo Mudryk join among eight new signings - but the new additions have struggled to click on the pitch.

Chelsea abandon 'long-term approach' with Potter
Potter's dismissal is Chelsea's 17th managerial change this century and, of the full-time incumbents of the role, his reign was by far the shortest.

Only Luis Felipe Scolari (36), Andre-Villas Boas (40) and Roberto Di Matteo (42) failed to reach the 50-game mark and even interim manager Rafael Benitez (48) lasted longer than Potter.

Boehly said Potter - who arrived from Brighton - fitted "our vision" and that he had "skills and capabilities that extend beyond the pitch which will make Chelsea a more successful club" after his appointment.

That indicated Chelsea were looking to pursue a long-term approach in the dugout after sacking Tuchel.

After a promising start of nine games unbeaten, including five successive victories and comfortable qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League, things began to unravel just before the break for the World Cup.

The slide began with a 4-1 humbling at Brighton, which was quickly followed by defeats against Arsenal and Newcastle and a Carabao Cup exit at Manchester City.

Chelsea started brightly after the World Cup break with a 2-0 win over Bournemouth, but that was followed by a draw at Nottingham Forest, two successive defeats by Manchester City - in the league and the FA Cup - and a loss to Fulham before beating Crystal Palace on 15 January.

A six-match winless run in all competitions followed that victory but a promising three wins and a draw - including progress to the Champions League quarter-finals - suggested another difficult period had ended prior to March's international break.

Potter sacked for the first time
Until his brief reign at Chelsea, Potter had enjoyed managerial success at each of the three clubs he had served.

He led Swedish side Ostersunds from the fourth tier into the top flight with three promotions in five seasons and won the 2017 Swedish Cup, earning a spot in the Europa League and reaching the knockout stages of that competition.

In his one subsequent season with Swansea City in 2018-19, they finished 10th in the Championship following relegation from the top flight and reached the FA Cup quarter-finals where they led Manchester City 2-0 before losing 3-2.

Potter was then recruited by Brighton and, after three seasons of steady progress, led them to their highest ever Premier League finish of ninth last term as well as collecting plenty of praise for their style of play along the way.

They sat fourth in this year's table when he left for Chelsea in September.

Since his departure, Brighton have continued to thrive under new manager Roberto de Zerbi and are pushing for a European place.