Chelsea new manager LIVE: Graham Potter appointed as new head coach
Todd Boehly and the new owners at Stamford Bridge are set to appoint their own head coach as the Blues’ upheaval continues
Graham Potter has been announced as the new head coach of Chelsea, following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday.
New owner Todd Boehly acted swiftly to dismiss the German following a Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, with the aim being to quickly put a new man in place before the weekend Premier League encounter with Fulham. Potter has now been confirmed as that man with a five-year contract having been signed, the Stamford Bridge club confirmed. The compensation paid to Brighton is expected to be around £16m, with three staff members also moving with Potter.
Chelsea’s move was all the more surprising at this stage of the season given Tuchel played a prominent role in choosing transfer targets this summer, with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed only a week ago and other big-money arrivals including Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Raheem Sterling. Find the latest updates and reaction to Chelsea’s new manager below:
Thomas Frank praises Chelsea for not going for the ‘easy pick’ and hiring Graham Potter instead
Thomas Frank has praised Chelsea for not making the “easy pick” and instead hiring Graham Potter from Brighton.
The Brentford manager said: “I'm very happy for Graham that he got the chance in a club like Chelsea. The easy pick would be to go for Pochettino or Zidane, no disrespect, two great coaches, all well known for what they have done.
“I'm so pleased for a coach like Graham, who has done in many ways a different route, and got acknowledged for the good job he's done and now gets the chance to compete in Champions League football."
Graham Potter fact box
Born: May 20, 1975 in Solihull, England
PLAYING CAREER
* Began his career as a left back at second-tier Birmingham City in 1992 before spending a season on loan at Wycombe Wanderers.
* Played for Stoke City before moving to the Premier League with Southampton, where he was part of the side that a recorded a famous 6-3 win over Manchester United during the 1996-97 season.
* Earned one cap for England at Under-21 level.
* Had spells at West Bromwich Albion, York City and Boston United before ending his career at League Two Macclesfield Town in 2005.
COACHING CAREER
* Worked as technical director for the Ghana women’s team at the 2007 World Cup and became assistant coach for Leeds Metropolitan University.
* Named manager of fourth division Swedish side Ostersund in 2010.
* Led Ostersund to back-to-back promotions before guiding the side to the Swedish top flight in 2015-16. The club finished eighth in their debut season in the first division.
* Won the Swedish Cup in 2017 and led Ostersund to the Europa League group stage after coming through qualifying.
* Appointed head coach of Championship club Swansea City ahead of the 2018-19 season, where they finished 10th.
* Took over at Brighton & Hove Albion in May 2019 and led them to 15th and 16th in his first two seasons.
* Brighton ended last season in ninth place, their highest top-flight finish.
* Joined Chelsea on a five-year contract as a replacement for Thomas Tuchel.
COACHING STYLE
* Known for his slick, possession-based style of football.
* Encourages players and staff to use dance and music as forms of self-expression. He got his Ostersund squad to put on a performance of the ballet Swan Lake for the local community.
Alexis Mac Allister pays tribute to Graham Potter
Alexis Mac Allister has paid tribute to Graham Potter after leaving Brighton for Chelsea.
The Argentine has settled in under Potter and is now a key part of the Seagulls outfit, operating in a deeper, midfield role.
Graham Potter ‘earned Chelsea opportunity’
Kevin Campbell: "What Graham Potter has done, he's earned this opportunity with the way he's helped Brighton play, he's developed young players, he's done a great job."
Martin Keown: "Pep Guardiola, saying he's the best English coach he's come across tactically. Selling players doesn't seem to affect them. It looks like a tough Chelsea dressing room, how will they take to him?
“Not many will have known much about him. He's not really won anything in the game. But he's got a fantastic opportunity."
Chelsea splash £21.5m in compensation to Brighton for Graham Potter and assistants
Chelsea have paid Brighton a total of £21.5m in compensation to bring Graham Potter and his staff to the club.
Todd Boehly has sanctioned the £16m buyout clause alongside a further £5.5m for four other members of staff that will follow him to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea move is ‘the natural progression’ for Graham Potter
Paul Robinson told Sky Sports: "They're getting a very good coach, who has taken Brighton to their ceiling.
“This is the next step up and right move. He's very tactically aware, they play a style of football that is pleasing to the eye.
“Attacking football. His time has come, he's lauded as one of the brightest young English coaches, this is the natural progression.”
Graham Potter in-tray after being confirmed as new Chelsea head coach
Keep improving the pathway from academy to first team:
Chelsea’s new owners hold a lot of faith in academy boss Neil Bath, the man who has spearheaded the Blues’ nursery’s rise to global prominence. Frank Lampard handed a host of Chelsea youngsters their head, before Tuchel was challenged to keep that production line going. Reece James and Mason Mount’s superlative form left Tuchel no choice but to deploy both England stars regularly. But other young stars have felt their chances limited, with no scope to gain rhythm through regular minutes. Chelsea’s new chiefs want to see a smoother transition from academy to first team, and believe Potter is the man to make that happen.
Graham Potter in-tray after being confirmed as new Chelsea head coach
Integrate a large number of new recruits:
Chelsea spent a one-window Premier League record £273million this summer, in Boehly and Eghbali’s transformative first few months at the helm. The Blues’ new bosses had arrived at Stamford Bridge with hopes high that Tuchel could be their focal point for some time to come. But his departure has left new man Potter picking up the pieces - and a major influx of talent. Marc Cucurella will be no issue given Potter ushered him through at Brighton. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could yet prove trickier however, given the Gabon striker was very definitely Tuchel’s signing. Tuchel was adamant he could keep Aubameyang in line despite the 33-year-old’s previous disciplinary issues at Arsenal. Tuchel and Aubameyang had just one match together in their Chelsea reunion however, and now Potter must work out how to extracts goals and assists from the new man.
Graham Potter in-tray after being confirmed as new Chelsea head coach
Coax a nucleus of frustrated players back to form:
Tuchel peaked at Chelsea when mixing taskmaster instruction and constructive criticism with frequent hugs, jokes and an upbeat demeanour. As his tenure wore on though, the brickbats began to beat down the blandishments. Several top players slipped from their best, while developing stars appeared to stall in progress. Christian Pulisic encapsulates the concern, with the USA forward suffering a stark drop in form and confidence. Potter will have to find a way to get the best out of stars like Pulisic, notably boosting consistency across the board.
Graham Potter in-tray after being confirmed as new Chelsea head coach
Tidy up the Blues tactically and add a cutting edge:
Potter‘s preferred base formation suits Chelsea’s current resources, with his three at the back and starting point of four in midfield a good fit for the Stamford Bridge squad. The 47-year-old is not averse to variations on his formation theme however, especially in midfield. Potter often set Brighton up with a particularly vertical midfield, at least in structure - deploying a six, eight and 10. Tuchel’s 3-4-3 never employed a playmaker, and that lack of a number 10 sometimes allowed Chelsea to capitalise on space elsewhere - but also sometimes left the Blues devoid of attacking inspiration. Mercurial talents like Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Conor Gallagher would all likely crave a chance in a natural number 10 role.
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