LONDON – Chelsea manager Graham Potter insists he has the backing of his bosses after a meeting with co-owner Behdad Eghbali in the United States, despite the Blues’ miserable run of form before the World Cup.

The west London club lost their last four games in all competitions in November, a run that contrasts sharply with the nine-game unbeaten run they went on when Potter took charge in September, replacing Thomas Tuchel.

The six-week break owing to Qatar 2022 offered some time to recharge and he took his family to California. It was on the West Coast where he met Egbali.

“I had a good chat with him, I get fantastic support,” Potter said. ‘I’m really looking forward to the weeks and the months and the years ahead.

“We understand where we are at, at the moment. We understand the challenges that we have, but that’s where we are in the journey at the moment.

“I’m even more confident now, even more aware of the support I have now, than I was three months ago when I was talking to them.”

The former Brighton boss is aware patience will quickly fade if his players cannot reverse this slide.

Chelsea, who are linked with West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and Croatian star defender Josko Gvardiol ahead of the January transfer window, are ninth and welcome Bournemouth in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

The 47-year-old Englishman noted: “We know the pressure, the demands of this football club, of course, but we also know there are enough people who can put it into perspective and enough people who can see the situation, see where we’re at, to be able to say ‘this is where we are, how can we improve, how can we move forward?’.”

He admitted that the back-to-back 1-0 defeats by Arsenal and Newcastle weighed heavily on his mind. He added: “You have to use that pain, the frustration, the disappointment of the last few weeks to see how we can move forward.We had a really good positive two or three weeks with the players. It feels like there’s a good spirit, a real good connection around the building.”