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Football London
Football London
Sport
Daniel Childs

Ben Chilwell question, Aubameyang mess: Chelsea players who could lose in Graham Potter arrival

Graham Potter has been appointed as Chelsea's next head coach following the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning.

The highly-respected Brighton head coach who has previously enjoyed success at Ostersunds FK and Swansea is the first coaching appointment of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake era.

football.london understands an agreement was reached after Potter met Boehly in London on Wednesday for talks over the role. Potter will be in place for Saturday afternoon's Premier League match with Fulham, having already said his goodbyes at Brighton.

READ MORE: BREAKING: Chelsea appoint Graham Potter as head coach to take over from Thomas Tuchel

As we broke down on Wednesday, the impact this change will have on the Chelsea squad could be transformative. There are always winners and losers, players who suddenly come into favour or see their career trajectories altered. Think about Antonio Rudiger and Tammy Abraham for good and bad when Tuchel replaced Lampard.

We have taken a look at the players who could benefit from Tuchel's sudden departure with the likelihood of a clean slate under Potter, but there are now doubts over players whose roles may alter too.

Let's break down some players who might not benefit from Graham Potter becoming Chelsea's head coach.

Ben Chilwell

This one is pretty obvious. Following the summer signing Marc Cucurella from Potter's Brighton, the £62million wing-back has already gained decent minutes under Tuchel, with Chilwell fighting to get back into his favoured left-wingback spot.

Cucurella thrived under Potter last season at the Amex Stadium, playing as a left-back and in a back-three, as the Spaniard did against Chelsea last December.

Chilwell might be feeling a bit of deja vu this week given when Tuchel arrived in January 2021 he briefly dropped out of the team for a returning Marcos Alonso. But Chilwell fought back, retaining his place and reaching better form under the German. He might have to follow the same path given Potter's familiarity with Cucurella.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

What a crazy few weeks personally and professionally for Aubameyang. A key reason for his deadline day arrival was linked to his connection with Tuchel, but the link-up has ended after just 59 minutes of first-team football.

Out of all the summer signings, the forward was the most linked to Tuchel. How will Potter now use him? Could we see problems down the line in terms of Aubameyang settling in a new environment with so much upheaval in a short period?

There is little doubt around Aubameyang's quality but one of the biggest questions facing Potter is how he deals with higher-profile players who have played for some of Europe's biggest clubs.

Kai Havertz role

This is one that you could argue veers between being helped or hindered by this change. Havertz will be eternally linked to the Tuchel era given his Champions League-winning goal in Porto. But concerns over his consistency and best position have been a constant concern.

How Potter utilises a mercurial talent like Havertz will be of intrigue given the struggles Tuchel faced when trying to shape him into a central striker.

Havertz should be in better confidence, scoring the winning goal against West Ham last weekend, but can Potter be the first coach at Stamford Bridge to inspire a more consistent output from the silky German?

Is Potter the right man for the job? Have your say via our survey below!

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