Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes Graham Potter deserved more time as Chelsea head coach, pointing to Arsenal’s progress under Mikel Arteta after a difficult start.

Chelsea sacked Potter in April after just seven months, with the club appointing Frank Lampard as his replacement. Lampard won only one game out of his 11 games in charge, with the Blues finishing 12th.

Fabregas told The Athletic: “I understand that the top, top teams nowadays panic very quickly.

“Like Chelsea… a panic change does not always guarantee you that you’ll get better. Sometimes it does, sometimes not.

“But if you really believe — I believed in Potter. I know the results weren’t great, but if you believe in him the way you say you believed in him… they had given him a five-year contract. Maybe give him some time. It’s proven with other coaches that it worked.”

Asked about the Arsenal project under Arteta, Fabregas added: “This is what we were talking about in terms of giving time to coaches. At any other club, or maybe at another time, maybe we would not have Arteta as a coach right now, because you can remember what happened the first year.

“Even though he did well the first six months, winning the FA Cup, they then finished eighth. If it’s not for (Arsenal sporting director) Edu (Gaspar) and giving him more time — he has the right personality to keep Mikel there, to say, ‘OK, stay, do your thing, we back you’. That’s what it’s all about. Down the line… it will bear fruit.”