Rumours swirl over Graham Potter’s future as Chelsea axe may be about to fall

Potter attempted to remain defiant after watching Chelsea suffer a third consecutive defeat with a 2-0 loss at Tottenham but accepted he does not have “too much good faith” given his poor start to life at the club.

The struggling Blues lost out after Spurs midfielder Oliver Skipp smashed home his first goal for the club 20 seconds into the second period before fellow academy graduate Harry Kane wrapped up the win with his 18th Premier League goal of the season eight minutes from time.

Defeat increases the pressure on Potter, who has only one win from his last 11 matches and saw Chelsea fall 14 points behind Tottenham in the top-four race.

While the ex-Brighton boss made comparisons with Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta and referenced the difficult moment being endured by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, he conceded his six months at Stamford Bridge give him little leeway amid growing frustration from fans.

Potter said: “Whilst the results are like they are, I accept it. It is part of our job.

“We were talking before the game about watching All or Nothing and Arsenal two years into Mikel’s reign, he is close to getting the sack, people are wanting him out and it is a disaster.

“Obviously now things have changed a little bit but that is just the way it is. You look at Jurgen’s situation. He hasn’t got the results and all of a sudden people want him out.

“That is just the nature of football. Obviously I haven’t done enough at this club to have too much good faith and I also accept that as well but my job is to not worry too much about that.

“I understand the question (about being under pressure), totally and to try to focus on keep helping the team, keep helping the players because I really like these players. They are good lads, they want to do better, they want to win but at the moment we are suffering and that’s my responsibility.”

Now rumours are swirling suggesting Potter has taken charge of Chelsea for the final time, with Paddy Power forced to slash their odds on him becoming the next Premier League manager to lose his job.

Potter is now 4/11 favourite to be the tenth English top flight boss to lose his job, with Chelsea bosses set to make a decision before next Saturday’s home game against Leeds.

sundayworld.com understands reports claiming former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino turned down an approach to replace Potter at Stamford Bridge last week are wide of the mark.

Yet Chelsea officials are believed to be keen to have a succession plan in place before they axe Potter.

The beleaguered Blues boss is sitting on a five-year contract worth around £50million, so his removal so early into his reign at Chelsea will be an expensive move for the club’s owners.