- Petit warns Chelsea over Zidane
- Doesn't believe he's suitable replacement
- Potter under pressure following torrid run
WHAT HAPPENED? A 2-0 defeat to Tottenham saw Chelsea's seemingly endless run of poor form extend over the weekend, with Graham Potter's side now having won only twice in their last 15 matches. But while there is plenty of speculation over who could potentially succeed Potter if he is sacked, former Blue Emmanuel Petit has given his backing to the Englishman and claimed potential replacement Zinedine Zidane wouldn't be a good fit.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to Premier League Odds, the Frenchman explained: "Zinedine Zidane doesn’t speak English so he’s not the proper choice for Chelsea to replace Potter, with all due respect to my former teammate.
"Potter has been there since September, are you really going to fire him? They should stick with him as they still have the chance to win the Champions League. If you sack Potter, someone who comes to the club straight away will have to adapt and do the right things and fans must understand it will take weeks and weeks."
He added: "I won’t judge Potter now for the bad results."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Potter has struggled immensely since making the mid-season switch from Brighton to Chelsea to replace the sacked Thomas Tuchel last September. And with an incredibly bloated squad following a rather hectic January transfer window, the English manager has a seriously difficult task on his hands in finding harmony, rhythm and a consistent starting line-up that will get him results on the board.
The Blues have now lost seven of their 18 Premier League games played under Potter, winning just five and scoring one goal throughout the entire month of February. Pressure continues to pile on the former Brighton boss, who was feeling the crunch after extending a winless run to six games over the weekend.
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GettyWHAT NEXT? French footballing royalty Zidane has been without a job in management since leaving Real Madrid for a second time in 2021, but has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, as well as other top jobs in Europe. While his name is in the hat for the job, there are several top level managers that could take on the job.