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Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter is reportedly the 'early favorite' to take over from the recently sacked Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. The club parted ways with the German tactician after a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their 2022/23 UEFA Champions League opener on Tuesday, September 6.
According to The Telegraph journalist Matt Law, Potter is now leading the race to replace Tuchel as the Blues manager. The Englishman is highly rated in the footballing circles due to his impressive spell with Brighton.
Law tweeted:
"Thomas Tuchel sacked by Chelsea. Graham Potter the early favourite to replace him."
As per the aforementioned report, Tuchel's sacking was not based purely on footballing reasons. The new owners had their reservations with the coach following a slow start to the new season.
The defeat at Zagreb played as a catalyst as the club sacked Tuchel within hours of the result. Chelsea are expected to approach Brighton in the near future to discuss the possible appointment of Graham Potter as the club's new manager.
The likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane and Benfica manager Roger Schmidt could also be contacted. First-team coach Anthony Barry is expected to take charge of the team in the meantime.
Potter has done a commenable job with Brighton since joining them in 2019. He led the club, who had narrowly avoided relegation the previous season, to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League in his first term in charge.
They finished 16th the following season and achieved a record ninth-place finish in the 2021/22 season. The Seagulls have started the ongoing season strongly under Potter, and are currently fourth in the standings with 13 points in six matches.
Chelsea sack Thomas Tuchel after poor start to the new season
In a shock decision, Chelsea sacked manager Thomas Tuchel following a poor start to the new season. The German tactician joined the club in January 2021 following the sacking of Frank Lampard.
He led the club to the UEFA Champions League title in his first season. The following term, Chelsea reached the finals of the EFL Cup and FA Cup, only to lose to Liverpool on both occasions under the former Borussia Dortmund manager.
The 2022/23 season, under the ownership of Todd Boehly, has been a completely different story. The Blues are sixth in the Premier League table with 10 points in six matches, even after spending more than £250 million in the recently concluded transfer window.
The Blues are set to face London rivals Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday, September 10.
