Chelsea have sacked Graham Potter after less than seven months in charge following the 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa.
Potter only joined Chelsea from Brighton last September, replacing Thomas Tuchel after the German failed to see eye to eye with new owner Todd Boehly.
But the side’s poor form has seen them drop out of top half of the league table and calls for Potter’s resignation have grown louder with every passing week.
His sacking leaves Chelsea, who have spent over £550m on new players. The club is searching for their third manager of the season with 10 games to go.
Chelsea released a statement on their website announcing Potter’s departure saying: “Chelsea FC has announced that Graham Potter has departed the club. Graham has agreed to collaborate with the Club to facilitate a smooth transition.”
Chelsea thanked Graham Potter
The club thanked him for his efforts, and confirmed that Bruno Saltor will take charge of the team as interim head coach.
Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, who had been committed to Potter and backed him up until now, added to the statement.
They said: “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. 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.”
Chelsea play Liverpool in the Premier League on Tuesday. Also, they will travel away to play Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on 12 April.
