Thomas Tuchel was sensationally sacked by Chelsea today, despite the squad receiving large investment in the summer and the Blues sitting in 6th place in the Premier League after 6 games.
Tuchel's fate was sealed following a 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb, and the German was sent packing by his new boss Todd Boehly.
Early chatter among sports journalists has Brighton manager Graham Potter as the favourite to take over at Stamford Bridge, so we used the mighty mind of 'Football Manager' to predict how the real-life Quint from 'Jaws' gets on in the dugout.
Brighton Rock
With an open chequebook granted to him by Todd Boehly, Potter opts splash the cash on Mexican attacker Hirving "Chucky" Lozano.
Lozano joined Chelsea from Napoli in the January 2023 transfer window and quickly endeared himself to the Chelsea faithful, scoring a whopping 8 goals in 6 games as Chelsea fall just short in the FA Cup final against Liverpool.
Potter continued Chelsea's strange habit of signing strikers who are well past their prime ala Shevchenko, Higuain, Falcao, and Pato by bringing in Jamie Vardy.
In the twilight of his career, Vardy only musters 10 appearances for Chelsea over two seasons, all from the bench.
Future historians will surmise that Potter signed Vardy as he wanted someone he could talk to in the dressing room about how Oasis were the last good band.
Surprising zero people, Potter deployed a traditional 4-4-2 formation in his time as Chelsea manager, and converting Kai Havertz into a classic number 10.
Havertz quickly catches fire, and scores 24 games in his first season under Potter's management, and goes one better by scoring 31 goals in 38 league games the following year.
Armando Broja serves as good foil to Havertz, with Broja playing as a classic disruptive striker.
The key to Chelsea's success is the signing of Lucas Hernandez in the summer of 2023 from Bayern Munich, with the French defender quickly becoming a talisman for the London side, and forming a mean partnership with his compatriot Wesley Fofana.
In Potter's first season, Chelsea finish in 3rd place, building from where Thomas Tuchel left off in the league but crashing out in the first knockout stage of the Champions League.
Champions of Europe - again
Potter's 2nd season in the hot seat elevates him to the highest levels of European football, by leading Chelsea to their 3rd Champions League title.
For a bonus, Potter also casts a spell that would make his namesake Harry very happy, by securing a Premier League title in the process.
Kai Havertz proves his undoubted potential with his 31-goal haul, while Romelu Lukaku manages to stop arguing with his teammates for 5 minutes to tuck away 26 goals as Chelsea secures a historic double.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the teams that suffer the most from Chelsea leapfrogging them, with Manchester United drafting in Thomas Tuchel to salvage the team being sensationally hiring ex-Man City manager Pep Guardiola.
Spurs go into freefall, with everyone from Marcelo Bielsa, Roberto Mancini and Xavi hired to stem the bleeding, and finish 12th in two consecutive seasons for their efforts.
Under Potter, Chelsea become the dominant London team, with Arsenal proving their only major rival for dominance in the English capital.
Chelsea have never finished lower than 3rd under Potter 5 seasons into his spell in charge, making him by far the most stable and successful manager of Chelsea's moneybags era.
Graham Potter's reputation for being straight-forward and strait-laced endears himself to the Chelsea faithful, with his rivalry with David Moyes being lapped up by press and fans alike.
The Potter era can be defined by Potter being able to experiment and change his winning formula that favours attacking over defending, with Chelsea netting over 80 goals per season in his tenure.
In comparison to his tendency to grind out a win at Brighton, Potter became more confident as a manager, and Potter does use the vast resources at Chelsea's potential.
Instead of going on massive Nottingham Forest-style spending sprees, Potter tends to make one big signing a season, with Watford's Joao Pedro, Serbian midfielder Ivan Ilic and Barcelona academy product Ilas Akhomach brought in to bolster Chelsea's already strong side.
Of course, this is only one way the Potter era could pan out - he could go the way of André Villas-Boas or become a part of the Chelsea furniture.
