Chelsea players left STUNNED after Graham Potter sacked and only found out after club released statement on website

CHELSEA players are said to have been STUNNED by the news of Graham Potter's sacking - and only found out online.

Potter was fired just six months after taking over from Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel.

But following a dire run of performances and results, he was axed as Blues boss with the club sat in 11th place.

According to , worried players contacted their representatives on Sunday night after finding out the news.

It is claimed the squad only found out about Potter’s departure through the official statement that was released at around 8pm.

Those who had been part of the defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday had a recovery session on Sunday while the others trained as normal.

But the majority of the squad were given no prior notice of Potter's sacking and returned home to find out via social media.

One source told the paper: “Most of the players had no idea until they saw the statement.

"People were asking who would be taking training on Monday and who is in charge for Tuesday.

"Virtually all of them were in recovery or training on Sunday, so they were shocked to find this out at home.”

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Potter was due to conduct his pre-match press duties on Monday ahead of the Liverpool game.

But by 3pm the club had started the process of removing him following internal talks between Stamford Bridge bosses.

It is understood Chelsea will not have to pay the full value of Potter’s £50m contract, which had four years left to run.

Defeat to Villa - Potter's SEVENTH of the season - pushed Chelsea into the bottom half of the table.

And it proved to be the nail in the coffin for the club’s owners, who had witnessed the game from the stands.

Sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley are believed to have made the decision to sack Potter.

And they were given the full support of co-controlling owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.

Stewart and Winstanley - backed by Boehly and Eghbali - will now lead the process to find Potter’s permanent replacement.

Julian Nagelsmann is among the favourites following his shock sacking at Bayern Munich, where Tuchel succeeded him.

But Mauricio Pochettino - who was interviewed for the job last year before Potter was hired - is also in the mix.

The Chelsea board have a relationship with Nagelsmann’s agent, as he also represents Timo Werner, who was sold back to RB Leipzig last summer.

Sporting director Stewart and technical director Christopher Vivell also worked with Nagelsmann at Leipzig.

Bruno Saltor - a member of Potter's coaching staff - has taken interim charge while Chelsea look for a permanent successor.