ADRIAN KAJUMBA: Graham Potter retains SOLID support from Chelsea owners despite slump in form

Chelsea owners remain convinced head coach Graham Potter is the right man to lead their long-term project – and will give it a boost with the arrival of Joao Felix, on loan from Atletico Madrid.

While Sportsmail understands there are behind-the-scenes concerns that some players are not fully embracing his methods, Potter retains the firm support of the club hierarchy amid Chelsea’s slump in results.

The Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital consortium bought Chelsea from former owner Roman Abramovich in a bid to overhaul the club from the ground up.

Despite poor results, Graham Potter has retained the support of the Chelsea board

Potter was chosen to succeed Thomas Tuchel because they saw the former Brighton boss as the manager who best suited their short- and long-term plans.

That belief in Potter remains intact despite Chelsea’s recent struggles with the 47-year-old, who is not believed to be under any pressure from above.

Thomas Tuchel was sacked on the night of his 100th game as Chelsea manager

However, the Blues meet west London neighbors Fulham on Thursday night and while a negative result against Marco Silva’s side would not put Potter in immediate danger, there is understood to be a focus on the clash at Craven Cottage as the Owners look for signs of improvement.

Potter is in regular contact with Boehly and his co-owner Behdad Eghbali, who are said to have reiterated from the start that this Chelsea project is long-term under the new regime and that they accept that rebuilding the club will take you Time.

Potter was handed a five-year contract to underscore this when he was appointed in September.

Chelsea have lost six of their last nine games in all competitions, sit 10th in the Premier League table and have been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions after defeats at Manchester City.

Potter has guided them to the knockout stages of the Champions League after taking over from Tuchel, losing his first group game at Dinamo Zagreb.

The club will beat both Manchester United and Arsenal on loan from Joao Felix

Potter has only been in charge for four months, a period that included an unprecedented break for the mid-season World Cup.

Chelsea bosses understand the injury crisis that has decimated his squad and left Potter without 10 experienced players for Sunday’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat at the Etihad Stadium. It is also recognized that Chelsea’s squad is unbalanced and in need of overhaul.

Chelsea owners spent around £270m over the summer, have already invested further in this window to sign £35m defender Benoit Badiashile, £8m striker David Datro Fofana and £18m midfielder Andrey Santos and are staying this month for further commitments in the market.

Portugal star Felix is ​​ready to join them at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea beat Manchester United and Arsenal to loan the striker out for the remainder of the season for a fee of around £9million, with the Blues covering his wages will be rest of the campaign.

Todd Boehly left his role as Chelsea sporting director to hand it over to Christian Vivell and Paul Winstanley

Sources have told Sportsmail that a roster overhaul could be crucial for Potter as while there are no questions about their individual quality, there are doubts as to whether some of his stars are ready to carry out his directives.

Carrying on some of those he doesn’t see as part of his plans will be a challenge, although most draw high salaries.

Similarly, there are concerns that to attract the caliber of the player, Chelsea will need to become a force again domestically and will be hampered in Europe by their failure to qualify for the Champions League.

England midfielders Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are among the players Chelsea are interested in.

West Ham’s England midfielder Declan Rice is another one Chelsea are interested in signing

But West Ham captain Rice has already made clear his desire to play Champions League football, while Bellingham already has extensive experience competing with Borussia Dortmund.

They’ve also shown their support for Potter by letting him influence the building of the club’s new recruiting team, another reason to maintain confidence.

There have been a large number of appointments and departures within Chelsea’s recruitment department since the American takeover last year.

The ex-Brighton boss was also allowed to influence the structure of the recruitment team

Technical director Christopher Vivell and global talent and transfers director Paul Winstanley will steer Chelsea through the January window, having joined since the summer transfer window, which has been overseen by Boehly, who served as interim sporting director.

Recruitment specialist Kyle Macaulay followed Potter to Chelsea from Brighton, while two other newcomers, also technical director Laurence Stewart and co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields, will join the new-look team, which starts at Chelsea after this window.

Indeed, sources have indicated that there have been some teething problems behind the scenes, given the major turnaround in recruitment and technical staff that may have contributed to some of the problems on the pitch.