Chelsea announce appointment of Graham Potter

Chelsea have confirmed that Graham Potter has been appointed as the club's head coach on a five-year contract.

On Wednesday morning, the Blues took the football world by surprise when announcing that they had parted company with Thomas Tuchel.

While the German's departure came after the club had lost to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, it has since been widely reported that the decision to sack Tuchel has been months in the making.

Less than 30 hours after Tuchel had cleared his desk at the Cobham training ground, Chelsea have now revealed that Potter has left Brighton & Hove Albion to move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea say that Potter will be bringing "his progressive football and innovative coaching" to the club with reports having previously indicated that co-owner Todd Boehly wants to make changes to the structure behind the scenes.

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On the club's official website, 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."

Boehly added: "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.

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"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."

Despite Potter's appointment coming less than 48 hours before Saturday's West London derby, Chelsea say that the 47-year-old will take charge "immediately".

While Potter leaves Brighton having recorded just 42 wins from 135 matches in all competitions, he has only enhanced his reputation during his spell at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton have recorded finishes of 15th, 16th and a club-record ninth position in the Premier League since 2019, and the Seagulls have only built on that progress during 2022-23.

As it stands, Brighton occupy fourth position in the standings having accumulated 13 points from six matches, currently sitting above Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.