Graham Potter has been relieved of his duties as Chelsea manager less than seven months into his five-year contract, the struggling Premier League club announced Sunday.

The decision to part with the English coach, who joined the Blues from Brighton & Hove Albion in September to replace the fired Thomas Tuchel, comes a day after Chelsea dropped down to 11th place with a 2-0 loss at home against Aston Villa.

Bruno Saltor has been named interim head coach.

Former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann is understood to be the favorite to succeed Potter at Stamford Bridge, according to transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio. The 35-year-old, however, reportedly prefers to wait until the summer before making a decision.

A statement from co-controlling Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali read: “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.”

Potter’s dismissal is likely to come as a surprise to many considering the large investment in the 47-year-old that Chelsea made after reportedly paying a £20-million clause to sign him from Brighton.

It was also widely believed that Potter would get a chance to close the gap on the top four, but Chelsea’s latest defeat leaves the club 12 points back of the last Champions League spot with 10 games to play.

After winning five of their opening six games under his charge, Chelsea slumped and their offense became stagnant despite the club’s significant investment in new players. The club has reportedly spent over £600 million since last summer.

Potter’s Chelsea career ends with just seven wins from 22 games in all competitions.

Antonio Conte left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent Sunday after he ridiculed “selfish players” and the club’s identity during a now-infamous post-match tirade.

“They don’t play for something important. They don’t want to play under pressure; they don’t want to play under stress. It is easy in this way,” the Italian said after Spurs drew 3-3 with Southampton on March 18. “Tottenham’s story is this: 20 years there is the owner (Daniel Levy), and they’ve never won something. Why?”

Cristian Stellini, who served as Conte’s assistant, has taken charge of the team until the end of the season. Former Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason will assist him in the role.

Tottenham wanted to talk to Julian Nagelsmann about potentially succeeding Conte, The Guardian’s David Hytner reported Friday, but nothing materialized from their apparent interest. Nagelsmann’s surprising sacking as Bayern Munich head coach was confirmed the same day.

Stellini, 47, will be immediately tasked with securing a top-four finish for Spurs and thereby clinching a place in next season’s Champions League. Tottenham are currently fourth in the Premier League table, albeit with Newcastle United just two points behind and with two games in hand. Sixth-placed Liverpool have also played two fewer matches than Tottenham and are seven points adrift of fourth place.

The north London outfit’s quest for their first piece of silverware since the 2008 League Cup is on hold until next season after AC Milan kicked them out of the Champions League round of 16 earlier in March. Spurs were eliminated from the League Cup by Nottingham Forest and from the FA Cup by second-tier Sheffield United.

“We have 10 Premier League games remaining, and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place,” Spurs owner Levy said. “We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters.”

Bayern Munich could sack Julian Nagelsmann as head coach after the German giants fell to second place and one point behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga table, according to insider Fabrizio Romano.

Thomas Tuchel is apparently the leading candidate to replace Nagelsmann.

Bayern are “seriously considering” making a move soon, with the decision being discussed internally, Romano reports.

The Bavarians are still competing for silverware in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League, but Nagelsmann has come under increased pressure after league defeats to Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen since mid-February.

Nagelsmann was widely criticized for labeling the officials who oversaw the Monchengladbach defeat as “spineless” and recently claimed there was a “mole” in the squad leaking tactics after some of his plans appeared in weekly magazine Sport-Bild.

Tuchel was fired by Chelsea in September 2022 but remains a popular figure at Stamford Bridge after winning the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup during his 19-and-a-half-month spell in the dugout.

He previously led Dortmund to DFB-Pokal glory in 2017 and guided Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title and successes in the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue.