Graeme Souness explains what Graham Potter must do to avoid the sack at Chelsea

Prominent pundit and Liverpool legend Graeme Souness believes Graham Potter needs to guide Chelsea to a top-four finish in the Premier League to keep his job.

Potter took over the reins at Stamford Bridge just a few weeks into the campaign after the Blues parted ways with Thomas Tuchel. The former Brighton & Hove Albion manager has enjoyed a decent start in his new role and is currently unbeaten in four matches across competitions.

While that makes for good reading in the short term, Souness believes Potter's goal must be to secure UEFA Champions League football for next season. He added that upon achieving that, the Englishman would need to get the Blues challenging for titles.

The former Liverpool and Scotland footballer said on talkSPORT (as quoted by The Chelsea Chronicle):

“If you are not in the Champions League next year, he’s (Potter) under pressure, simple as. And then the following year, if you’re not challenging for both those big trophies, you are under pressure.”

As things stand, Potter's troops are fourth in the Premier League standings with 16 points from eight matches. They are just a point clear of Manchester United in fifth place.

---

Chelsea have slowly built some momentum under Graham Potter

Potter's reign at Chelsea began with a 1-1 draw at home against RB Salzburg in the Champions League last month. While there were a few bright spots, the Blues put in a largely dour display and conceded a late equalizer.

They then scraped through his first Premier League game in charge against Crystal Palace. Conor Gallagher's 90th-minute winner gave them a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park. The Blues put in an improved display in that game, which gave way to their best performance under Potter in the following match.

Chelsea thrashed AC Milan 3-0 on Matchday 3 of the Champions League at Stamford Bridge to get their European campaign back on track. The English giants were fantastic going forward and allowed very few chances at the back in a clinical display.

They built on that victory with another 3-0 win on Saturday (October 8) over a struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers side in the Premier League. Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja all got on the scoresheet, while the defense kept a second consecutive clean sheet.

Chelsea will look to extend their three-match winning streak on Tuesday (October 11) when they take on AC Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League.