Graham Potter ‘grateful’ to Chelsea board after huge January spending

Graham Potter insists “most managers would love” to be in his position at Chelsea.

Much has been made about Potter’s reaction to a frantic month of spending at Stamford Bridge, leaving the former Brighton manager with a bloated squad.

As a result, Potter has already been forced to omit some big names from his Champions League squad, with Benoit Badiashile and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among those who will play no further part in Europe this season.

Potter, who has also hit back at criticism of the club’s spending, had 27 of his 33 players available for Friday’s draw with Fulham and will need to balance team selections to keep a dressing room packed full of leading stars happy.

Having struggled during his first few months in west London, that could make life even more difficult.

Still, the 47-year-old believes this is an “exciting time” for Chelsea, who are set to follow up their busy January by completing the signing of France forward Christopher Nkunku this summer.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Potter said: “Most managers would love to be in my position.

“It’s a fantastic football club, and a really exciting time. You should never really compare yourself to somebody else because you don’t know their circumstances. All you can do is try to improve yourself.

“Anybody that works here should be excited and grateful and happy, because it’s a fantastic football club.”