Paul Merson believes Chelsea boss Graham Potter has been very unlucky.

“I think Graham Potter has been bang unlucky, if I’m being honest,” the former Arsenal and England winger told Sky Sports.

“The way they play, with three at the back, the most important thing is to have two good wing-backs, but Reece James and Ben Chilwell are injured and they have also been caught with no centre-forward.

“I hope he gets time because I don’t believe he has become a bad manager overnight.

“It’s a hard one because he’s had so many injuries, but the problem when you’re in trouble is that every game is followed by a hard game.

“You are crying out for a Forest at home – no disrespect to Forest – but they just do not come along. Instead, you get Man City twice.

“I think he has been unfortunate with both injuries and the fixtures. To bump into Man City twice when you are under pressure and you have not got a full team, you are always going to be up against it.

“He is putting youngsters in and some of them have done well, but it’s a hard situation. There’s a lot of work to be done on the squad, particularly in attack.

“They have spent a lot of money on defenders, but you are only going to win something if you can score a goal.

“I rack my brain for who is out there. There’s only one striker I can think of and that’s Harry Kane, but I don’t think he would want to go to Chelsea and I don’t think Tottenham would sell him to Chelsea.

“But you go around the world and there is not an obvious centre-forward for them anywhere. That’s a big problem.

“I worry for Potter that the fans are singing Thomas Tuchel’s name because, at the end of the day, it’s the fans who sack you.”