How Arsenal and Arteta have influenced Boehly's Chelsea plans as surprise Champions League decision made

The success of Mikel Arteta at Arsenal is one of the reasons behind Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly's continued support for Graham Potter, David Ornstein has claimed.

Potter finds himself under pressure at Stamford Bridge after a difficult start to his time in charge of the Blues.

The former Brighton boss has won only nine of his 23 matches as Chelsea manager, with seven of those games ending in defeat.

Perhaps more worryingly, his side have only won just two of their last 13 matches in the Premier League, leaving the club in ninth place - 10 points adrift of the top four.

It is concerning form, particularly when considering that Chelsea have spent more than £500m on signings since the Boehly-led consortium completed its takeover of the club in May of last year.

However, Potter retains the full backing of the club's board, according to Ornstein.

A report in The Athletic which credits Ornstein says Potter will be 'judged in years not months'.

It adds that the club decided early on that Potter would not be judged 'on whether they qualify for the Champions League this season'.

Arteta's Arsenal success working in Potter's favour

The report also claims that the success of Arteta, who has guided Arsenal to the top of the Premier League this season, has influenced the Chelsea's decision to back Potter.

Arsenal finished eighth in Arteta's first two seasons at the club, following his appointment in December, 2019.

Last season, Arsenal narrowly missed out on the top four, finishing fifth in Arteta's third campaign at the Emirates.

But they have massively improved this season and are currently top of the table, three points clear of closest rivals Manchester City heading into their mouth-watering clash in north London on Wednesday.

"The success of Mikel Arteta at Arsenal with a young squad after a mixed start is also seen as reassuring and the board feel that it will take some time for all the new faces to gel and understand Potter’s tactics and methods," added The Athletic report.

Potter's attention will now turn from Premier League football to the Champions League, with Chelsea travelling to face Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their round of 16 tie on Wednesday.

The Blues then return to league football against struggling Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.