Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta shows Graham Potter sympathy over Chelsea abuse but says owners’ patience won’t last forever
MIKEL ARTETA told under-fire Chelsea manager Graham Potter that he cannot rely on the owners’ backing forever.
The table-topping Arsenal boss knows exactly what Potter is going through right now after enduring online abuse and demands for his dismissal last season.
Graham Potter is under pressure to turn results around at ChelseaRex
GettyArsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he sympathises with the Chelsea manager[/caption]
Arteta sympathised with Potter — believing he was only two games from the sack when the Gunners were bottom last term — and added it must not ‘ruin his life’.
But he warned that failure on the pitch will only be tolerated by billionaire Blues owner Todd Boehly for so long.
Arteta said: “The board were really supportive but at the end of the day you have to win matches because you know if the run continues, it becomes unsustainable.
“I knew that I had to win against Norwich and Burnley — and everything started to get better.”
After Chelsea’s 2-0 loss at Spurs, Potter pointed to the patience Arsenal showed Arteta when his team lost their first three Prem games last term.
The Blues boss, who has just two wins in 15 games, also revealed he and his family have been victims of vile abuse, with some wanting him “to die”.
Arteta, whose side host Everton on Wednesday, added: “This job’s so demanding.
“But you cannot allow it to destroy your life.
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“Your family and loved ones don’t deserve to have their lives affected.
“Of course you empathise when someone is suffering because you know how it feels to go through these moments.”
Potter’s issues got worse after it was confirmed Blues defender Thiago Silva has suffered knee ligament damage.
