Graham Potter has revealed he has never even attended a Champions League match ahead of taking charge of Chelsea for the first time.
Potter’s Chelsea debut will also double as his Champions League bow, when the Blues host RB Salzburg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
And the 47-year-old admitted the closest he has come to Europe’s top-tier club competition until now has been to watch the action on TV.
Potter branded his switch from Brighton to Chelsea last week as a “whirlwind”, as the English coach replaced Thomas Tuchel at the Stamford Bridge helm.
New Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali opted to unseat Tuchel after a 100-day review of their embryonic Blues tenure, with Potter handed a five-year contract and staunch, long-term backing.
Potter admitted the opportunity was too compelling to pass up, with the Solihull-born coach impressed by Chelsea’s new owners.
Asked if he had even attended a Champions League match before, Potter replied: “Off the top of my head, I don’t think I have. But it’s a good time for me to get into the dugout.
“My experiences in the Champions League are just at supporter level.
“But obviously I’ve experienced the Europa League with Ostersund, winning at Galatasaray and getting through the group stage.
“Wherever we would start it would be a heck of an introduction, wherever we start it’s going to be brilliant, so why not start here?
“You have to look at the tradition, the quality, size and ambition of the club here. It’s a completely different challenge from the one I had at Brighton.
“I had three fantastic years there, but I’m very thankful to the owners here for putting their trust in me.”
Chelsea sacked Tuchel on Wednesday last week, the morning after a chastening 1-0 Champions
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