Chelsea make decision over Graham Potter’s future ahead of crucial Champions League tie vs Borussia Dortmund

The Chelsea hierarchy are sticking by Graham Potter despite the club only winning two of their last 13 games in the Premier League.

Chelsea dropped more points at the weekend against West Ham after claiming a third consecutive draw in the league, to ensure their winless run on the road since October 2022 continued.

Potter, who was appointed on a long-term contract, was heavily backed last month with more than £300 million spent on new signings, five of whom started the game against the Hammers – Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernandez, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke.

Chelsea have a crucial Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night and they’ll be hoping to get a positive result in Germany to bring back to the English capital for the return leg.

Their qualification chances for next season hinge on whether or not they win the competition due to a top four spot in the Premier League looking increasingly unlikely due to their current form.

And the owners have offered their reassurance to the 47-year-old, who they believe can’t be judged in months but rather years.

As reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, the feeling within the Chelsea hierarchy is that the Potter ‘should be judged in years not months’ and they are ‘confident they have one of the best managers in the game’.

The club had already decided Potter’s job would not hinge on whether or not the Blues qualified for the Champions League next season. After coming in once the season had already started, along with all the new signings and injury problems, success in the short-term was viewed as always unlikely.

Potter knows you can’t always plan for the long-term as a manager, defiant in his message of acknowledging the frustration of the lack of results.

“You can’t talk about the long-term because that doesn’t exist in this job,” Potter said after their 1-1 draw versus West Ham. “You have to acknowledge there’s a long term but there’s a short term and medium term that is challenging for us in terms of results.

“The experienced players know what we’ve been through. You’re talking about some top professionals who know football. While people on the outside may have an opinion on things, these guys have been around and know the challenges we’ve faced.

“They know the situation the club has been in and what’s happened. So then it’s about helping them get through it, the inevitable frustration because they want to win. We all do and the supporters do. That’s where it’s been challenging.”