Chelsea has confirmed the sacking of manager Graham Potter after less than six months into his five-year contract.

Potter assumed the managerial role at the London-based club subsequent to the dismissal of his predecessor, Thomas Tuchel, in September. However, his performance as head coach has fallen short of expectations, as the team has endured a protracted period of poor form, with only 12 wins in over 30 games under his management.

The Blues dropped into the bottom half of the Premier League standings after losing to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. It turned out to be the breaking point, and Boehly and the new Chelsea ownership group decided to fire him.

“Chelsea FC has announced that Graham Potter has departed the club,” a club statement read. “Graham has agreed to collaborate with the Club to facilitate a smooth transition. In his time with the club, Graham has taken us to the quarter final of the Champions League, where we will face Real Madrid. Chelsea would like to thank Graham for all his efforts and contribution and wish him well for the future.”

Bruno Saltor has been named the interim manager of the team and will be at the helm for their match against Liverpool on Tuesday.

However, Julian Nagelsmann who was sacked last week as manager of Bayern Munich is already considered a leading contender to succeed Potter in the long term at Chelsea.

Speaking about Potter’s sacking, a statement from Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: “On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea.

“We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome.

“Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season. We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high.”

Chelsea currently sits 11th on the Premier League table and looks almost certain to miss out on the top four this season.