Chelsea boss Potter claims he has received death threats: Graham Potter, the manager of Chelsea, claims that after the team’s disappointing performance, he and his family had received death threats.
Potter said on Friday that an anonymous email account had targeted him.
Potter, who has previously stated that he feels he has the hardest job in football, talked of the toll that recent months have placed on him emotionally and vehemently denied claims that he does not care for the team because of his cool attitude in the face of adversity.
“People have a perception I don’t care — what’s that based on? How do you know?” he told a news conference ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League match at Tottenham on Sunday. “You could ask my family how life has been for me and for them.
“It’s is not pleasant at all. I understand supporters go home and they’re annoyed because the team isn’t winning. But I assure you, my life for the last three or four months has been fairly average.
“I’ve had some not particularly nice emails come through, that want me to die and want my kids to die. That’s obviously not pleasant to receive. If I have asked you for four months if you’re under pressure because (the media) need to sell stuff – what do you expect, in the end?”
After making significant transfers in each of the past two transfer windows, Chelsea has only won two of its last 14 games. In the 20-team Premier League, the club is currently in 10th position.
To replace the ousted Thomas Tuchel, Potter was hired in September.
Potter was adamant not to give in to the pressure of criticism, even though he was aware that only victories could change the flow of public opinion.
“Life is tough for lots of people,” he said. “No one really wants to care about Premier League managers. Sometimes life isn’t fair. It’s not like I’m complaining about it. You ask me is it hard, I say yes it is hard. You suffer. You get upset. When you’re in private, you show real emotion with your family.
“There’s a point to be considered, but the world is tough. We’re going through an energy crisis, a cost of living crisis. People are striking every other week. No one wants to hear about the poor old Premier League manager.”
