Graham Potter, in the opinion of interim Chelsea head coach Bruno Saltar, did an “amazing job” for the team.
Following a loss to Aston Villa on Saturday that sent the team into the bottom half of the Premier League rankings, the Blues severed connections with Potter on Sunday.
Less than seven months had passed since Potter’s hiring at Stamford Bridge, when he succeeded Champions League-winning coach Thomas Tuchel. His departure also followed a major spending binge in the January transfer window.
Potter was finally fired because he was unable to use the talents of Chelsea’s wide range of newcomers and because of a serious goal scoring deficit.
Despite all of that, Potter did an impressive job in west London in the eyes of Bruno.
“I’m here right now because Graham and the club thought that was the right step, I’m here to just try to help the club and be the most professional I can,” he said at a pre-match press conference.
“I’m just trying to keep the process going, to collaborate the best that we can. I think Graham did an amazing job. Football is a really complex business and we have to keep going.
“It’s been really difficult at every single level, you have to deal with the press conference, you have to deal with the players. It’s difficult to deal with it, it’s been a really difficult 12 hours.”
Bruno faces a baptism of fire at Stamford Bridge, with his first game coming against top-four chasing Liverpool, and he expressed his admiration for opposing boss Jurgen Klopp.
“We have to see it as an opportunity for the players. We’re representing Chelsea, a club with amazing history, who are about winning, about dominating,” he added.
“We need to prepare for the game, preparation helps a lot with performance. That’s what players need to focus on.
“Obviously I have pure admiration towards Jurgen. I can’t say anything other than what everyone knows. They’re going through a tough season as well, but have top players.
“We’re expecting a tough game, that’s aggressive because they have high intensity players.”