Chelsea’s season has reached a crossroads, so The Athletic felt the timing was right to conduct a mailbag with our readers.
Beat Borussia Dortmund tonight in the second leg of the Champions League knockout tie and hope will be retained that something positive — even in the shape of silverware — might be salvaged from a turbulent 2022-23. Exit Europe at the last-16 stage and there will be very little else to play for over the final few months.
Our readers have sent us questions on a number of topics… not just the future of head coach Graham Potter. If yours is not listed below, do not lose heart. There will be other mailbags in the future, and always the chance to fire questions to us in our post-match Q&A…
Has Potter had enough time to be judged yet? — James D
I’m sure Potter thinks it’s too premature for him to be judged. Some of his rhetoric from press conferences in recent weeks has explained the various obstacles he has faced. He admits results haven’t been good enough, but he has not had a settled squad from the day he arrived —whether that is due to the number of injuries or the number of signings.
Advertisement
Not having a pre-season was certainly a hindrance too.
Potter has said on more than one occasion that Chelsea “is the toughest job in football”. There will be many coaches across the football pyramid who will have raised an eyebrow at that, but the level of pressure and expectations on Potter, having replaced a very popular manager in Thomas Tuchel, should be taken into account.
Still, if Chelsea go out of the Champions League tonight, his first six months would have to be considered a disappointment. The owners want to trust the process and plan for the long haul, but this will be a test of that mantra.
Dortmund has been billed by many as make-or-break for Potter. Were he to lose, who would actually take the decision on sacking him? — Gil T
There is a management structure and everyone is consulted on all key decisions. But if there is going to be a coaching change, the co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali will be behind it.
If, say, Potter is replaced in the summer, is the relationship between Tuchel and the owners so bad that he would be ruled out as an option? — Jamie C
Chelsea fans need to move on from Tuchel and accept he is not coming back.
The relationship didn’t work for either party, so it was the right call to part ways. The German preferred working under the previous regime where he was left to concentrate on coaching and was not expected to interact with the hierarchy that much. He felt the departure of technical and performance advisor Petr Cech, the go-between between Tuchel and director Marina Granovskaia, particularly keenly.
Chelsea have installed a recruitment structure, but I don’t see a reconciliation with Tuchel any time soon.
Is there still pressure on Potter? — Paddy N
Unfortunately, yes. One win over Leeds is not enough to ease the tension, especially if he follows that with an early Champions League exit.
At the press conference, you could tell Potter was guarded about talking too excitedly about what those three points meant for his situation. “Like everybody connected to Chelsea, your mood is a bit better when you win,” he said. “You are a little bit happier, but the good thing and bad thing about the job is that there is another game pretty quickly. It’s a massive game and one we need to be ready for.”
Advertisement
The owners gave Potter a five-year contract and, until recently, it sounded like they were still determined to trust the process, giving him time. But the run of two wins over 15 Premier League games before the Leeds fixture was met with concern in some quarters and that constituted a significant change.
What are your thoughts on Joao Felix — should we go all out to sign him? — Ceri L
It’s stating the obvious he is some talent — you would hope as much given Atletico Madrid paid £112.9million ($135.8million) to secure his services from Benfica in 2019. He has looked like one of Chelsea’s best attacking players and seems to have an on-field understanding with Kai Havertz and Enzo Fernandez. But, like his Chelsea team-mates, he is not taking chances. His one strike at West Ham is not enough for the threat he has posed.
As for his future, Chelsea are still looking into ways of making his loan into a permanent deal. He will obviously not come cheap and Chelsea are also facing a strong possibility of not being in the Champions League next season. Joao Felix suggested that could be a problem when asked about it on the eve of the match.
However, he is clearly enjoying life at Stamford Bridge and seems open to the idea of playing for Chelsea beyond this campaign. “It’s a different kind of football,” he said. “The way teams play in La Liga and the Premier League is totally different. I felt that in the first game. Chelsea is a team who likes to attack, who likes to have the ball and likes to dominate the game, so that’s the game I like to play. I feel very free to play here, to play as I like. I’m loving it.
“If I want to stay or not… the future, nobody knows. I am only focused on this game. After that, we don’t know what will happen. I am here and the club is so big, it’s amazing. Everyone behind the club is so good so I am happy to be here.”
Chelsea do have other positions that they want to strengthen, including goalkeeper, midfielder and a centre forward. Joao Felix would take a lot away from that budget.
I’d assume the priority for the summer is a clearout of the first-team squad to allow for Potter to work with a manageable number? — Jack W
That’s right, Jack. The problem is everyone will know Chelsea are going to try to sell players so that is not a very strong bargaining position. There is also an issue with shedding players on very high wages. Those with just one and two years left on their contracts will come under consideration for departure. There are also individuals who will want to leave to get more first-team football.
Has Mason Mount been offered an equivalent contract to Reece James and turned it down? If he hasn’t been offered that, why not? — David R
The situation is complex. Talk of Mount demanding £300,000 a week is not true. However, he has turned down some offers which are certainly in the region of what James has been given. But it has been further complicated by things like image rights, bonuses and the length of contract.
While Mount has made it his priority to stay at Chelsea, he doesn’t want to sign for eight years, as Mykhailo Mudryk did when joining from Shakhtar Donetsk. This shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of loyalty, but committing to seven or eight years at Stamford Bridge would take Mount into his 30s.
Talks are on hold until the end of the season. If no agreement is reached, he will be sold because Chelsea do not want to run the risk of him leaving as a free agent in 2024. There are a number of interested clubs who will be hoping to get him on the cheap.
What is the mood among the homegrown players over their futures after reports that they’ll be seen as the best (in terms of FFP) to move on if Chelsea don’t qualify for European competition? — Frazer N
You can understand why the owners would consider it. They have spent in excess of £500million ($602m) on players with very little recouped. Even if Chelsea win the Champions League to qualify for the competition next season, they will still want to generate revenue from player sales.
There is already interest in Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mount and Trevoh Chalobah. If any of them depart, it will count as pure profit in the accounts given they were brought up through Chelsea’s academy. The club will be looking to reduce the size of the squad and, in the cases of Mount and Loftus-Cheek, they have just one year left on their deals. That increases the possibility of them going.
If no extension is agreed, they will be sold because they won’t want to run the risk of the midfielders leaving as free agents.
If Potter sticks with the back three against Dortmund, who replaces Badiashile? Cucurella? James? Chalobah? — Kameron C.
It would be a mistake to move James into the back three, assuming he’s fit to feature after a tight hamstring strain.
If he’s available, Chelsea need him offensively down the right. Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly are sure to occupy two of the three centre-back positions so I’d go with Chalobah. I’m surprised at the lack of football he’s enjoyed lately, but I’d back him to come good. The supporters have started to turn against Marc Cucurella and one fears it will take only one bad touch or mistake for the grumbling to start in the stands.
Chelsea will need everyone behind the team if they’re to progress.
Will N’Golo Kante play any part against Dortmund — Amer A
Potter has revealed this game has come too soon for the France midfielder to be involved, which is understandable.
Kante has not played for six months and was barely involved in pre-season. When pressed about how long it will take for the midfielder to return, Potter said: “He won’t be able to go straight in for 90 minutes any time soon but the fact he is training, and with us, is exciting.”
If Chelsea lose against Dortmund, there will be questions though why Kante was kept in the Champions League squad and neither Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang nor David Datro Fofana made the cut for the knockout phase.
This all feels a bit 2011-12, doesn’t it? Hoping this time, though, it’s the ‘project’ manager that pulls it off and brings home CL win No 3… — Ayo A.
I like the positivity — a fine way to go out. Chelsea were also in a similarly low position when Tuchel took over in 2021 and he led them to the trophy, so perhaps that’s the secret to success!
In all seriousness, Potter has clearly not given up on the prospect of lifting the European Cup even though it feels very unlikely right now. While there were not any bold predictions in his pre-match press conference, you could tell he senses an opportunity. Despite all the scrutiny on his position, his priority is making sure Chelsea progress.
Advertisement
He was asked about the possibility of changing the narrative around his appointment if he leads them to the quarter-fnals though, typically, he was reluctant to make this fixture all about him. “I’m not thinking about it in that way — I’m thinking about how important it is for the team and club,” he said. “It’s a chance to get into the last eight of the Champions League. What an opportunity. Stamford Bridge will be rocking.”
The atmosphere at the game will be crucial, especially if Chelsea fall behind on the night to trail 2-0 on aggregate. Chelsea have not scored two goals in a game since December 27. The fear is a concession will be the prompt for those unconvinced by Potter to vent their frustration once again.
(Top pic: Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images)
