Arsenal legend Paul Merson thinks Chelsea could be a “massive threat” next season but has low expectations for them this term.
The Blues sacked Thomas Tuchel last month after he and the new owners failed to see eye-to-eye over a number of key issues at the club.
Tuchel was replaced by Potter with the former Brighton manager making a promising start to his tenure at Stamford Brudge.
Potter has overseen a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg and a 3-0 victory over AC Milan in the Champions League, while his only Premier League fixture ended in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
But Merson insists fans shouldn’t get “carried away” with Potter’s start at Chelsea with his side yet to play “anyone of real note” despite beating Italian champions AC Milan.
Merson wrote in the Daily Star: “I watched Chelsea at Crystal Palace last weekend and I thought the Blues got away with one.
“The goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was the man of the match and it could have gone either way.
“If you came to watch the two sides for the first time, you wouldn’t have known who was Chelsea. There was that little between them.
“AC Milan was a good result but they were fortunate to put a team out, so we shouldn’t get carried away just yet with Graham Potter.
“There’s no doubt that he’s had a decent enough start but they haven’t played anyone of real note.
“If Chelsea get in the top four this season, I think they’ve had the biggest result ever. I don’t mean that disrespectfully but it’s going to take time to implement his ideas from Brighton.
“Next season I think we will see a completely different Chelsea. They will be a massive threat.”
In another article, this time on Sky Sports, Merson added: “There was nothing between both teams at Palace. I think that tells you everything at the moment. It’s going to take time. There was no fluency, it was scrappy, but he’s going to need time to work on the team.
“There is no time, though – before you know it, they’ve got AC Milan and they’ve got to win that or they’ll be right up against it to qualify.
“It’s going to be hard for him to get his stamp on the team until next season because of the way the league is, and the World Cup in the middle, it’s game after game and these are all games they have to win, it’s not like Brighton.
“The other week and all the games that were cancelled, they said there was a gap in April – that just tells you everything about where we are.
“The way…
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