Kieron Dyer claims Chelsea squad don’t rate Graham Potter and preferred Thomas Tuchel

Kieron Dyer has claimed members of the Chelsea squad believe manager Graham Potter does not compare to former boss Thomas Tuchel, while questioning the Englishman’s ability to work with world-class players.

Potter was appointed as Chelsea manager on a five-year deal in September after Tuchel was sacked just seven matches into the season.

Chelsea lost their three Premier League matches before the season halted for the World Cup, leaving the Blues eighth in the table after 14 matches.

Dyer, speaking on True Geordie‘s YouTube channel, claimed he had spoken to players at Chelsea who believe Tuchel was on a different level to their current boss.

The former England international suggested the club made a mistake in sacking the German.

‘I’m so happy that Potter got his chance, so happy because he deserved it, but then I’m thinking you do not sack Tuchel for Graham Potter,’ Dyer said.

‘That’s just my opinion.

‘I’ve spoken to people who have had Tuchel as a coach and they’ve had Potter as a coach, obviously I’m not going to name names. They are just like, you cannot compare the two. Knowledge of the game, tactics, just the way they are.

‘I also know people who have had Tuchel and then they’ve had other top, top managers and they go, “Trust me, Tuchel is f***ing incredible.”’

‘I watched the game where he went crazy with the handshake – they absolutely pummelled Tottenham – I know you can say Tottenham are getting pummelled by most of the big boys,’ Dyer added, referencing the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in August.

‘They just said Tuchel was on a different planet.’

Tuchel had led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, six months after replacing Frank Lampard in the dugout.

He also lifted the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge, but suffered defeats to Liverpool in the finals of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

Tuchel’s sacking followed a dismal start to Chelsea’s Champions League campaign, with the 49-year-old dismissed hours after a shock 1-0 defeat by Dinamo Zagreb.

Owner Todd Boehly said in September that the decision had been made due to Tuchel not sharing his vision for the future of the club.

Potter successfully guided Chelsea to the top of Champions League group with four consecutive wins, including triumphs over Italian champions AC Milan.

The Blues had won their first three Premier League matches under the former Brighton boss, but entered the World Cup break winless in five.

Dyer claimed uncertainty over Chelsea’s line-up was a factor in the loss of form, with the former Newcastle midfielder suggesting Potter is trying to keep the club’s star players happy.

‘I think Chelsea having problems is because he’s always changing the team, it’s like he’s trying to keep all these superstars happy,’ Dyer said. ‘All of them. It’s impossible to name the eleven.’

‘I can name Newcastle’s team every week, Manchester City’s for the big games.

‘But Chelsea I haven’t got a clue who is playing. He’s playing [Raheem] Sterling at wing-back, one minute he’s playing [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and then he’s on the bench for the next two games.

‘Listen, I was so happy he got his chance but I always worried that when you’ve got world-class players and they’re not really buying into your beliefs do they just say, “Yeah, good one.”’

Chelsea return to Premier League action after the World Cup break when they host Bournemouth on December 27.

The Blues are currently eight points behind fourth placed Tottenham with a game in hand over the North London side.