"It's a disaster" - Graham Potter made desperate Mikel Arteta plea before Chelsea dismissal

Graham Potter's comments about Mikel Arteta have resurfaced following the former Brighton manager's sacking on Sunday.

Potter was dismissed as Chelsea boss after less than seven months in charge of the club.

The Blues' 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday proved to be the nail in the coffin, as they were banished to the bottom half of the table.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta is leading the Premier League title race, after Arsenal crushed Leeds 4-1 to restore their eight-point lead over Manchester City.

However, the Spaniard didn't have the easiest of beginnings, missing out on the Champions League last season after a total collapse in form.

Potter recently revealed that he had taken inspiration from the Gunners' boss after watching Arsenal's All or Nothing documentary.

Potter's Arteta comparison

Following Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in February, Potter was asked whether he still had support from the board.

"Well, there's always that question, absolutely," replied Potter.

"And you can't stop the questions. And while the results are like they are, I accept them - it's part of the job.

"We were talking before the game about watching All or Nothing and Arsenal, two years into Mikel's reign he's close to getting the sack and people are wanting him out and it's a disaster. And now things have changed a little bit - and that's just the way it is."

The 47-year-old also mentioned Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who has been similarly rumoured with an exit having endured a tricky campaign.

Although Potter acknowledged that it was merely the "nature of football".

"If you look at Jurgen's situation," he continued. "They haven't got results and all of a sudden people want him out, that's just the nature of football. Obviously I haven't done enough at this club to have too much good faith, and I also accept that."

"My job is not to worry too much about that, to understand the question and where it comes from, totally, and to focus on keep helping the team and keep supporting the players, because I really like these players.

"They're good lads and they want to win, but at the moment we're suffering - and that's my responsibility."

Indeed, it soon transpired that Potter had lost the support of Todd Boehly and was axed from his position, indicating that Chelsea's hierarchy are chasing immediate success, as opposed to a long-term rebuild.

Topics: Graham Potter, Mikel Arteta, Chelsea, Arsenal, Premier League, Football

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno