Graham Potter admits he has never even been to a Champions League clash ahead of first Chelsea game against RB Salzburg
CHELSEA boss Graham Potter has revealed he has NEVER attended a Champions League match as he prepares to face Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday.
In what will be his first match in charge of the Blues since agreeing a five-year deal from Brighton, the 47-year-old will finally experience the atmosphere of Europe’s premier competition.
Potter in no stranger to European games having taking Swedish side Ostersund to the Europa League Round of 32 in 2018 where they were knocked out by Arsenal.
But the ex-Swansea gaffer has insisted he is relishing the challenge of stepping into the unknown with Chelsea desperate to claim three points after losing 1-0 away at Dinamo Zagreb last week.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Potter said: “‘Off the top of my head, I don’t think I have (been to a Champions League game).
“‘I think it’s a good time to go in the dugout, why not!?
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“Wherever we start it’s a heck of an introduction.
“Wherever we start is going to be brilliant, and why not start here?”
Potter, who is now the joint fourth highest earning boss in the Premier League with a £10million-a-year salary, has also opened on his “whirlwind” experience of joining Chelsea.
He was named as the club’s new head coach just a day last Thursday after replacing sacked predecessor Thomas Tuchel.
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He remarked: “Things happened incredibly quickly.
“I had some really intense conversations with the owners and quickly I realised that they were good people, intelligent people that had made a huge success of their life outside of football and wanted to achieve something here.
“(They had) a really exciting project, really exciting ideas about how to take the club forward, and it felt really, really positive.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s been a whirlwind in terms of getting to know people, leaving Brighton, learning about the players.
“My first impressions have been really good, and I’m really looking forward to starting.”