Brighton manager Graham Potter is the man Chelsea’s American owners want to replace the sacked Thomas Tuchel.
The Stamford Bridge club have been granted permission by Brighton to formally discuss the vacancy with Potter.
Sportsmail has been told that Potter is Chelsea’s No 1 target to replace Tuchel, who was sacked this morning.
Should Chelsea’s talks with Potter go according to plan, the expectancy is that the current Seagulls boss will be offered the job as new Chelsea head coach.
Sources have indicated that Potter is fully open to taking over at Stamford Bridge and that reaching an agreement for him to join Chelsea will be straightforward.
Indeed, unless there is a breakdown, Potter could be in position by the weekend when Chelsea take on Fulham.
Brighton have given Chelsea permission to discuss their newly vacant managerial position with Graham Potter
Former PSG and Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is another favourite for the job
Potter is understood to have a release clause – of at least £12million – in his contract meaning Brighton are powerless to prevent their manager from leaving.
Sportsmail understands the clause includes the release of the majority of Potter’s staff at the Amex.
Potter is settled at Brighton, who have started the season excellently.
However, sources have indicated to Sportsmail that Potter would give serious consideration to leaving the Seagulls for a club competing in the Champions League.
If Chelsea’s move for Potter fails to materialise then Mauricio Pochettino is also viewed as a strong candidate.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly (right) sensationally sacked Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday
Thomas Tuchel was sacked this morning just hours after his side’s defeat against Dinamo Zagreb.
Pochettino is a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer meaning he is available for nothing.
It is understood Pochettino is aware of Chelsea’s interest, but Potter’s emergence as the club’s preferred option leaves the Argentine playing a waiting game.
Zinedine Zidane would also be of interest to Chelsea bosses – but he wants to take over from Didier Deschamps as France manager after the World Cup.
Tuchel cut a disconsolate figure as Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday
Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League and have made a miserable start to their Champions League campaign, with Tuchel disposed of hours after their humbling 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb, his 100th match in charge.
The club said they would move ‘swiftly’ to appoint a new manager and Tuchel’s coaching staff will continue to take charge of the team in the interim.
Sportsmail has revealed that Chelsea sacking Tuchel will cost the club £15m – with £13m going to the German and £2m to his coaching staff.
It is understood that the German was one of the Premier League’s top earners, on a salary in the region of £13m a year.
The German is set to receive a pay-out of around £13million after he was sacked by Chelsea
And with his backroom staff set to follow him out of the door, the total cost to Chelsea’s new American owners is likely to be closer to the £15m mark.
‘On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the club,’ Chelsea said in their statement on Tuchel’s sacking.
‘Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.
‘As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.’
Zinedine Zidane is one of the other names on the potential shortlist for the Chelsea job
The sacking of Tuchel has caught some by surprise given he publicly claimed that negotiations were ongoing for a contract extension just last month.
‘There are talks,’ he said.
‘But I think given the situation where we come from, and where we are in the middle of the transfer period, I think it is the very best if I focus on my team and on sports and on being competitive.
‘My people talk to the owners and take care of everything else. You know how glad I am to be here and how much I like it. So it’s a good thing.’
The new manager at Stamford Bridge will inherit a squad that has been bolstered to the tune of more than £260million in the summer, a record spend in one window for a Premier League club at more than £260million.
Chelsea had decided to sack Tuchel before his side’s humbling 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb
Tuchel is the latest high-profile figure to be given the axe following Boehly’s £4.25billion take over in May.
He follows former sporting director Marina Granovskaia, CEO Guy Laurence and technical and performance advisor Petr Cech in departing the club.
Tuchel leaves having guided Chelsea to UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup glory.
Tuchel arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2021 to replace Frank Lampard and hit the ground running by winning the Champions League in six months.
Last season Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals, only to lose to Liverpool on both occasions. They also finished third in the Premier League.
In his first 50 games they only conceded 24 goals and Tuchel was heralded for the impact he made.
But Chelsea have made a stuttering start ahead of Saturday’s match against Fulham having already lost three times this season, all away from home at Southampton, Leeds and on Tuesday in Zagreb.
Relationships with stars deteriorated, he was unhappy at having such a big say on transfers… and Todd Boehly was ‘not happy taking a “no” on signing Cristiano Ronaldo’: How Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea reign fell in
By Jacob Ranson
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea reign fell apart after his relationships with players deteriorated, frustration over transfer business and not fitting in with the new ownership’s project.
The German has been sacked just three months after the Todd Boehly-led consortium formally completed the takeover of Chelsea.
The Blues suffered an abysmal 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group-stages last night in his 100th match in charge, which has seen the Blues take action.
It was, however, not to do so much with results and more the fact of deteriorating relationships with star players at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel hit the ground running by winning the Champions League in his first six months
Tuchel also made it clear that he did not enjoy the extra responsibility he was given in the transfer window after Boehly handed him more power and a greater say on Chelsea’s business.
Not only that, Boehly’s interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo provided an early difference of opinion, with the American reluctant to simply take ‘no’ for an answer from Tuchel, who, according to the Telegraph, seemed exasperated at having to explain his reasons for not wanting the Portuguese superstar.
Crucially, the owners want a coach they can invest in for the future and who they believe is prepared to make an equal commitment.
The first 100 days with Tuchel did not offer enough encouragement that he would relish their style or help create the culture they want to breed.
The German made it clear that he did not enjoy having a say on the club’s transfer business
Co-Owner Todd Boehly was ‘not happy taking a ‘no’ on signing Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured)
The boss recently also reiterated his disappointment that former technical and performance advisor Petr Cech left Stamford Bridge following the takeover.
After the summer rebuild and a poor start to the new season, which sees Chelsea sitting sixth in the Premier League, it has been claimed that Tuchel’s relationship with a number of Chelsea’s squad has deteriorated.
His team selections have caused surprise and, at times, frustration among players who felt they have been unfairly left out or played out of position. That appeared to be evident in Zagreb.
The boss has been bringing players back into from the cold before dropping them again regularly, including wantaway stars Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic.
Ziyech started the defeat to Southampton, despite the fact he had been trying to negotiate a move out of Chelsea, with Pulisic taking his place in the following game against West Ham United.
Ziyech did not look like a man trying to do his head coach any favours when he was thrown on at half-time in Zagreb.
It appears to have been a deeper-rooted issue as the performances have got worse over time and in his last 50 games they have conceded 53 goals, a sign of the breakdown defensively which is hampering their trophy prospects.
Therefore Tuchel’s legacy has drastically collapsed since he arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2021 to replace Frank Lampard, when he hit the ground running by winning the Champions League within his first six months.
Tuchel has often brought players back into the team from the cold, including Hakim Ziyech
Last season Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals, only to lose to Liverpool on both occasions. They also finished third in the Premier League.
In a bid to bridge the gap to champions Manchester City and Liverpool, Chelsea’s new ownership invested heavily in the summer, a record spend in one window for a Premier League club at more than £260million.
Wesley Fofana arrived from Leicester, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came in from Barcelona, while Raheem Sterling was their marquee first signing from Manchester City.
But Chelsea have made a stuttering start ahead of Saturday’s match against Fulham having already lost three times this season, all away from home at Southampton, Leeds and on Tuesday in Zagreb.
The 49-year-old’s departure will no doubt put pressure on Boehly, given his popularity among the Blues supporters following the 2021 Champions League success.
Tuchel also gained a lot of respect when he became the club’s spokesperson when restrictions were placed on the club, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on former owner Roman Abramovich.
