POTTER AXE A BLESSING

GRAHAM POTTER may have been chewed up and spat out by Chelsea.

- ALAN SMITH

But he returns to Stamford Bridge as West Ham boss tonight wiser for the experience.

In seven chaotic months, interrupted by the winter World Cup in 2023, Potter took charge of 31 games and was a bystander for the most outlandish January transfer window of all.

By bringing in a raft of young players on longer deals than ever seen before, Chelsea's new owners were trying to reshape how the entire transfer market works.