Graham Potter will reportedly receive around £13m in compensation after being relieved of his coaching duties by Chelsea.
The West Londoners announced on Sunday evening that they have parted company with the 47-year-old after less than seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Potter enjoyed a nine-game unbeaten run at the start of his reign, but the Englishman claimed just six wins from his final 22 matches in charge across all competitions and has left the club sitting 11th in the Premier League table, 12 points behind the top four.
After just over three years at Brighton & Hove Albion, Potter was lured to Chelsea in September by co-owner Todd Boehly – following the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel – and penned a six-year contract until 2027.
Potter was tasked with turning the club's fortunes around after the Blues had spent in excess of £300m on new signings in January, and although the Blues have progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals, their current predicament in the Premier League has ultimately cost him his job.
"On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea. We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person," a statement from Chelsea's co-owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali read.
"He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome. Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season.
"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."
A recent report claims that Chelsea have reached an agreement with Potter to avoid paying a mammoth £50m severance package following his sacking.
According to the Daily Mail, the Blues will instead spent around £13m in compensation, taking the club's overall managerial costs for the 2022-23 season to £50m.
The report adds that Chelsea began by giving Tuchel a £10m pay-off in September, before forking out a Premier League record £22m to recruit Potter and his coaching staff from Brighton.
Potter is said to have earned around £7m during his near seven-month spell in West London, and after losing his job at the weekend, his £13m compensation package has now taken Chelsea's total managerial spending to the £50m mark across a nine-month period.
Including the aforementioned £300m or so spend on new players in January, Chelsea also forked out over £250m in the summer transfer window, and a number of first-team departures will be required this summer if they are to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
Those departures will likely depend on who is appointed as the club's next manager, with Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino and Luis Enrique among the current frontrunners for the vacancy.
Chelsea have placed Bruno Saltor in temporary charge for the time being while they search for Potter's successor, with his first game in the dugout taking place on Tuesday night at home against Liverpool. body check tags ::
