TA: Burleigh will target Porter against Arteta. Unlike Tuchel, he will encourage players

January 14, The Athletic UK Chelsea reporter Simon Johnson
A long column titled – Chelsea under Graham Potter: a club struggling to adapt to a brave new era

(The following is an excerpt from the column)

Chelsea boss Graham Potter revealed last month that he met Chelsea owners Burleigh and Eggbaly in California during the World Cup.
Not long after, behind the 5-year long contract he signed, the support of the Chelsea boss has not changed.

Last week Burleigh and Eggbaly flew in from the US to watch the Premier League loss to Manchester City.

Although the trip involved talks with Benfica about the transfer of Enzo Fernandez, the two sides hadn’t reached an agreement at all, and it was also a chance to show Porter himself.
Now that the business and recruiting structure has been established, they intend to stay in the US more and focus on other businesses.

But the impression they’d be at Stamford Bridge more often if it worked, should be seen as a positive, especially for Porter.

Burleigh’s target is Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, who has been given several transfer windows to build his squad and integrate the north London club’s young talents into the first team, it has been pointed out.
Chelsea hope Porter can succeed in the same way.

Chelsea is still fully supporting Porter. In addition to the already joined Badiasil and the loaned Felix, Chelsea may also officially announce 3 deals in the winter window. They have also signed Eindhoven winger Madue
Ke’s transfer was negotiated.

Management have gone to great lengths to build a signings team to work with the 47-year-old manager, with a restructured division now including two of Porter’s trusted allies at Brighton, Paul Winstanley and Kyle McKay.
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What would these guys do if Porter said goodbye to Chelsea again so soon?

Whenever Chelsea suffer a downturn, there is speculation as to whether a manager has lost the support of the dressing room.
However, at present, it is too early to talk about player defections.
But sources close to the veteran player (who have been allowed to remain anonymous to protect the relationship) have said some are uncomfortable with Porter and want to leave in the summer.

The outside world could indeed argue that this is the case for Chelsea every year anyway.
Overall, however, feelings toward Porter remain positive.
It has helped him and his backroom staff to be open and approachable at Cobham from the start.

Porter did a lot of tactical work, but it was his attitude as a human being that most impressed players.
The ex-Brighton coach has maintained good communication with those players who have not been selected in the starting line-up, which is a smart move to maintain morale.

One thing players have noticed is that his gameday team talk is a little different than his predecessors.

Last Sunday’s 3-0 half-time loss to Manchester City was one example.

During Tuchel’s time, players expected to be met with anger and harsh words at half-time.
Porter opted to encourage them more, hoping to inspire the players at the Etihad Stadium, bottoming out in the second half.
Even when the game was inconclusive, he remained calm after the final whistle, emphasizing the importance of togetherness and the fact that things will get better.