Chelsea have announced Graham Potter as their new manager, following the dismissal of previous boss Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning.
Potter arrives after a successful three-year stint at Brighton that saw the club achieve their highest-ever league finish when they ended the 2021-22 season in 9th.
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The 47-year-old is new owner Todd Boehly’s first managerial appointment and was immediately tipped as the favourite to succeed Tuchel after the German lost his job in the hours following Chelsea’s shock 1-0 defeat in their Champions League opener against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday evening.
As with any change of management, there will inevitably be those who benefit and those who suffer from the arrival of a new boss.
Here are the potential winners and losers at Chelsea under Potter.
Winners
Romelu Lukaku
Had Tuchel remained at the helm until the end of the season, it seems highly unlikely Lukaku would be returning to Stamford Bridge. The Belgian striker appeared to have a rather fraught relationship with the German, beginning with that interview on Sky Italia in December and ending with his departure back to Inter Milan on loan.
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But, after the announcement of their new manager, it would not be completely out of the question to suggest that the £100m forward may still have a future at Chelsea.
Christian Pulisic
Pulisic has become something of a forgotten figure at Chelsea under Tuchel, which is surprising given that the two previously worked together at Borussia Dortmund. Injuries have hampered his playing time but opportunities for the talented American have been limited under the German. Could the change in personnel allow the technically-gifted forward to return to his best? Only time will tell.
Hakim Ziyech
Like Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech has found playing time under Tuchel in short supply. Undoubtedly talented with the ability to change games, the 29-year-old Moroccan hasn’t really had much to shout about since his arrival from Ajax in 2020, summed up by his ‘disasterclass’ cameo in the game against Zagreb. A fresh start at Chelsea under Potter might be exactly what he needs.
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Losers
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
59 minutes. 59 minutes was all there was of the reunion between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thomas Tuchel. After the ‘will he, won’t he’ transfer saga that grabbed most of the headlines on transfer deadline day, the Gabon striker played just under an hour in the game against Zagreb before being substituted. By the next morning, his former boss at Dortmund was gone, leaving plenty of questions as to what role Aubameyang will play under Potter.
Marc Cucurella
It remains to be seen what the behind-closed-doors relationship is like between Potter and Cucurella after the Spanish full-back’s departure from Brighton to Chelsea for £60m this summer. Potter was adamant he did not want to sell the Seagulls’ player of the season but Cucurella opted to hand in a transfer request to force the deal across the line.
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Just a couple of months later and the two are reunited. Will it be a case of water under the bridge?
Reece James
It might seem a little harsh to include Reece James on this list given there is every chance the England full-back will continue his astonishing development with Potter at the helm. But given just how much the 22-year-old excelled under Tuchel, it’s possible we may not see that same level of accelerated growth during the new Chelsea boss’ tenure.
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Who do you think the winners and losers at Chelsea will be under Potter? Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Premier League
