Leeds and Borussia Dortmund matches ‘make or break’ for Graham Potter amid player anger at Chelsea – Paper Round
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Updated 28/02/2023 at 08:45 GMT
Tuesday’s Paper Round leads on Graham Potter and Chelsea, with the outcome of their upcoming home matches against Leeds and Borussia Dortmund potentially determining his future – or not, according to the Guardian. In what is essentially a Chelsea special, the Mail has an exclusive claiming Potter is frustrated by the size of his squad. And finally, there is some Manchester United news too.
Potter: 'I haven't done enough to have too much good faith'
Leeds and Dortmund ‘make or break’ for Potter
Chelsea’s owners continue to back Graham Potter but the next two games are “make or break” for the head coach, according to the Telegraph. Chelsea host Leeds on Saturday before welcoming Borussia Dortmund to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League next week, and after one win in 2023, Potter cannot afford for the season to spiral further - and there is “anger” among the squad, too.
“Chelsea’s run is not just testing the faith of the owners, with senior players said to be concerned over whether or not Potter can turn the situation around, new signings shocked by the pressure they are already under and anger among those who are having to be left out of the matchday squad,” the Telegraph writes.
“Todd Boehly was at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday to see Chelsea’s latest defeat and is scheduled to be joined by co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali for the games against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge.
“Given the current circumstances, that feels significant enough, and even if he were not sacked immediately after the Dortmund game, if Chelsea have failed to win either of their next two matches, those around the club, including players, believe there would ultimately be no way back.”
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… Or is it?
Though the Telegraph does not claim losses to Leeds and Dortmund will certainly see Potter sacked, the Guardian says the Chelsea head coach will remain in his position regardless, with the summer viewed as central to Potter’s chances of transforming this squad.
“Chelsea’s owners want to give time to Potter,” the Guardian writes. “They are aware of the flux and bloated squad created by adding six first-team signings in January and their ambition from early in this poor sequence of results has been to give Potter next summer to benefit from a pre-season, a recalibration of the squad and the addition of the forward Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.
“The owners like the calm way Potter is going about his business and have built a structure around him, including by hiring two recruitment specialists who worked with him at Brighton in his previous job.”
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Potter frustrated with bloated squad
More Chelsea? Okay then. This time, it’s an exclusive from the Mail, which claims Potter is frustrated by the fact this bloated squad are “ruining his training sessions”. Chelsea spent more than £300m on eight players in January, and only Jorginho departed – new signings Andrey Santos and Malo Gusto will not feature until the summer – leaving Potter with a group too large for his preferred way of working.
“Instead of his preferred method of 11 v 11 training matches, Potter has been forced to leave several hanging around or working in a smaller group elsewhere until they are required. As a result, Potter has struggled to maintain continuity during training sessions, never mind matches,” the Mail writes.
“While Potter was consulted and gave the green light to the most recent signings, he hoped that more fringe players would be offloaded, and even told the club's website that a 30-man squad would be 'a problem'.”
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Man Utd bidders to hear responses this week
Away from Chelsea, and up north to Manchester United, where the bidders are set to hear from Raine Group this week amid a drop in share prices and a fear the Glazers will stay on. Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the frontrunners to take over the club.
“US merchant bankers Raine Group are set to reach out to those who sent in offers to either buy or make an investment in the Premier League giants over the coming days, according to those with knowledge of the situation,” the Mail writes.
“The development comes following another rough day for the club’s share price. The figure rocketed when this newspaper revealed that a bid from Qatar would be forthcoming earlier this month.”
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