Graham Potter has been confirmed as the new manager of Chelsea.
The 47-year-old leaves Brighton after three years in charge on the south coast, where he has guided the Seagulls to finishes of 15th, 16th and ninth in the Premier League. A strong start to this season sees them occupying fourth place after six games.
He has been given a five-year contract after Chelsea's surprise sacking of Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning, following a stuttering start to the season – despite a record-breaking £250m spending spree in the summer.
According to the BBC, Chelsea will have to pay around £21m to Brighton in compensation.
Chelsea came under new ownership in May, with a consortium led by American billionaire Todd Boehly, who is said to want more day-to-day contact with the head coach than Tuchel is accustomed to. This may have caused some ructions between owner and manager, particularly given that reports from Stamford Bridge sources suggest the decision to part company with the German was not influenced by Tuesday night's Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.
Chelsea Football Club is delighted to welcome Graham Potter as our new Head Coach! 🤝September 8, 2022
Before Brighton, Potter spent a season in charge at Swansea, and seven years at Swedish side Ostersunds, where he won successive titles in the fourth and third tier, and eventually guided them to an historic place in the Europa League group stage.
Chelsea's next game will be a west London derby against Fulham on Saturday afternoon, which UK fans can watch on BT Sport.
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