Chelsea appoint Graham Potter as manager after Thomas Tuchel's sacking

Graham Potter is Chelsea's new manager after leaving Brighton and signing a five-year deal with the Blues. 

The appointment comes just a day after Thomas Tuchel's dismissal, which came in the immediate aftermath of the west London side's surprise defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the team's Champions League opener. 

Speaking following the announcement of a potentially career-defining move, Potter said: "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."

Joining Potter in making the move from the Amex to Stamford Bridge are his assistant Billy Reid, first-team coaches Bjorn Hamberg and Bruno, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay. 

Reid, Hamberg and Macaulay also worked alongside Potter in the Englishman's previous managerial roles at Ostersund and Swansea. 

Potter joined the Seagulls in the summer of 2019 and despite overseeing little improvement in league position during his first two years at the helm, his work started to bear fruit last season as he guided the club to their best-ever Premier League finish of ninth. 

The 47-year-old leaves the South Coast outfit in fourth - three points above sixth-placed Chelsea - and is set to take his place in the Blues dugout for the first time against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge, after Saturday's planned west London derby at Fulham was postponed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Reacting to Potter's arrival, Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly: "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."

The new consortium, led by businessman Boehly, who took over the club in May, wasted no time stamping their mark on the team, splashing the cash to the tune of more than £250m over the course of a wild summer of recruitment.

Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella were among the high-profile arrivals, while Romelu Lukaku, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner exited the club.

A report by The Telegraph’s Matt Law this morning suggested Tuchel’s sudden departure had been attributed to a deterioration in his relationships with both ownership and several key players.

Brighton owner Tony Bloom gave his thoughts on Potter's depature, releasing a statement which read: "I am very disappointed that Graham will be leaving us. 

"He has done exceptionally well over the past three-and-a-bit seasons, he is an exceptional head coach and an exceptional person. He will be hugely missed at our football club. 

"He leaves an excellent legacy for his successor with the club in its highest-ever position, and on the back of leading us to our highest finish in the club's history last season. I would like to thank Graham, Billy, Bjorn, Bruno, Ben and Kyle for their work here, and wish them all the very best for the future.

"While our attention is now on appointing Graham’s successor as head coach our immediate focus, of course, is on supporting Andrew Crofts as interim head coach."