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Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella have sent messages of thanks to Graham Potter but only a handful of Chelsea players have publicly shown their appreciation to the sacked boss.
Potter was fired on Sunday night after less than seven months in charge, with the dismal 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa that left the Blues 11th in the Premier League table proving his last act.
While Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria had no problem ‘liking’ the sacking announcement on Chelsea’s own Instagram account, some in the squad did thank Potter for his efforts.
Defender Chilwell was the first on Monday night, posting an Instagram Story showing him hugging Potter and the message ‘Thank you gaffer’ and a blue heart emoji.
A trickle of others followed, including from Cucurella, who knew Potter from Brighton. The Spaniard posted a picture of the pair speaking on the training ground and the words: ‘Thanks and best of luck in the future, gaffer!’
Armando Broja, who has been out injured for the majority of Potter’s tenure, also took to Instagram to post a training ground picture and ‘thank you gaffer’ caption.
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Noni Madueke, who was one of Chelsea’s January signings from PSV Eindhoven, was the most gushing in his appreciation of the outgoing manager.
‘Will always be grateful to you coach. All the best truly!’ He wrote on his Instagram message.
Later on Tuesday, both Kai Havertz and Wesley Fofana took to their own social media accounts to note their thanks to Potter.
But with the pair, alongside Chilwell and Cucurella, the only first-team regulars to bid Potter a fond farewell, it suggests much of the Chelsea squad aren’t too disappointed to see him go.
That is certainly true in the case of outcast striker Aubameyang, who ‘liked’ Chelsea’s Instagram announcement on Sunday night having not played for the club since late February.
The Gabon striker was cut from Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the knockout stages to make room for January arrivals and recently angered the club by celebrating Barcelona’s Clasico win over Real Madrid with his former team-mates.
Midfielder Zakaria, another who found opportunities limited under Potter, also ‘liked’ the post.
Chelsea now plan an ‘exhaustive’ search for Potter’s successor, with the recently deposed Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann joined by Luis Enrique, Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi on the early shortlist.
Bruno Saltor, who followed Potter from Brighton when he took over last September, has taken temporary charge with Chelsea hosting Liverpool on Tuesday night.
Potter is set to receive £13million in compensation after his sacking. Chelsea paid a Premier League record £22m to extract Potter and his coaching team from Brighton.
Source:Daily Mail