Chelsea appoint Graham Potter as new manager
Graham Potter has left Brighton to take over as Chelsea head coach, replacing Thomas Tuchel.
The London club said he had been appointed on “a five-year contract to bring his progressive football and innovative coaching to the club”.
Potter said: ‘I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea FC, this fantastic football club. I am very excited to partner with Chelsea’s new ownership group and look forward to meeting and working with the exciting group of players and to develop a team and culture that our amazing fans can be proud of.
“I would also like to place my sincere thanks to Brighton & Hove Albion for allowing me this opportunity and in particular Tony Bloom and all the players, staff and supporters for their continued support during my time at the club.’”
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said: ‘We are thrilled to bring Graham to Chelsea. He is a proven coach and an innovator in the Premier League who fits our vision for the Club.
“Not only is he extremely talented on the pitch, he has skills and capabilities that extend beyond the pitch which will make Chelsea a more successful club.
“He has had a major impact at his previous clubs and we look forward to his positive impact at Chelsea. We look forward to supporting him, his coaching team and the squad in realising their full potential in the coming months and years.’
Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali are understood to have met a release fee in Potter’s Amex Stadium contract, with Brighton subsequently allowing the Blues to talk to their highly-regarded manager. Potter leaves them in fourth place in the table, having taken 13 points from their opening six games.
The ambitious new owners’ maiden managerial appointment, Potter’s first game in charge will be Saturday’s Premier League trip to Fulham.
Joining him at Stamford Bridge will be the bulk of his Brighton coaching team – assistant Billy Reid, first-team coaches Bjorn Hamberg and Bruno, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay.
Chelsea were understood to have made initial contact with Mauricio Pochettino and Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim, as well as considering Zinedine Zidane and even Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers.
But Potter was always considered the top target of Chelsea’s new board.
Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea on Wednesday morning, amid mounting discord with the new Blues board and growing issues with the Stamford Bridge players.
The former Paris St Germain coach led Chelsea to the 2021 Champions League title, then the 2022 Club World Cup crown.
But the charismatic German coach paid the price for disharmony with the Blues’ new owners, who were left feeling unable to see Tuchel at the centre of their west London revamp.
Potter was understood to have asked for assurances about the new Chelsea owners’ plans to fashion a set-up for managers to make long-term plans that they then actually also carry out.
The former Swansea boss was impressed with what he heard in face-to-face meetings with Boehly and Eghbali on Wednesday afternoon, paving the way for a deal to be wrapped up quickly.
