GRAHAM POTTER will NOT be sacked as Chelsea manager despite his Premier League struggles.
Pressure has been mounting on the former Brighton boss, who replaced Thomas Tuchel in September.
His side have won just two of their last 13 league matches since October and their only chance of silverware is the Champions League.
Saturday's 1-1 draw with West Ham leaves the Blues languishing ninth in the table, ten points adrift of the top four.
However, The Athletic report the new Chelsea board led by Todd Boehly will not axe Potter this season, even if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.
The Stamford Bridge hierarchy recognise Potter joined the team during the season and with lots of new players so it will take time for him to get the best out of the squad.
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Boehly and the directors also appreciate the Potter project is a long-term vision and therefore are committed to giving him that time to craft and shape the team as he wants.
That is what he did so successfully at Brighton while Mikel Arteta has reaped the rewards of being trusted through a difficult patch at Arsenal.
Now Chelsea envisage a similar approach in West London with Potter in the dugout for years, not months.
The Blues have seven new players in the squad that arrived in January – including record-signing Enzo Fernandez.
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Chelsea's leadership recognise they will not gel instantaneously but allowing Potter to work with them for a sustained period is the best approach for success down the line, even if that leaves supporters frustrated now.
Fans were particularly angry at Marc Cucurella's performance at the London Stadium on Saturday as they booed him off the pitch.
Joe Cole even criticised Potter for not slamming the officials, who denied Chelsea a late penalty despite Tomas Soucek handling in the area.
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