Chelsea new manager LIVE: Graham Potter appointed as new head coach

Graham Potter has verbally agreed to become the next 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 now get a new man in place before the weekend Premier League encounter with Fulham. Potter is expected to be that man with talks continuing over financial details, some of which include a compensation figure likely to hit £16m if they appoint him.

Chelsea’s move is 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.

Follow live updates and reaction to Chelsea’s new manager search below:

Chelsea new manager LIVE

• Todd Boehly also holds talks with Sporting boss Ruben Amorim

• Psychology, pressing and shapeshifting: What Graham Potter will bring to Chelsea

• Potter wants three members of Brighton backroom staff at Stamford Bridge

• MIGUEL DELANEY: Graham Potter ready for a challenge at Chelsea he couldn’t turn down

• CONFIRMED: Graham Potter appointed new head coach of Chelsea

Graham Potter appointed Chelsea manager

15:52 , Karl Matchett

Graham Potter has spoken after being appointed the new boss at Stamford Bridge:

“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.”

Chelsea appoint Graham Potter as head coach after sacking Thomas Tuchel

15:48 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea have appointed Graham Potter as their new head coach.

The Englishman has signed a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge and will take charge of his first match on Saturday lunchtime against Fulham.

The Blues have turned to the Brighton tactician to replace Thomas Tuchel, who was dismissed on Wednesday morning following defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

The Blues met Potter’s £16m release clause as compensation to Brighton, who see their talented coach depart after three years.

Potter took charge of Brighton in 2019 and has since revolutionised the brand of football on the south coast, guiding the Seagulls to a ninth-placed finish in the Premier League last season.

More here on the Blues’ appointment:

Chelsea appoint Graham Potter as head coach

CONFIRMED: Chelsea appoint Graham Potter as head coach after sacking Thomas Tuchel

15:47 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea have confirmed the deal is complete - Thomas Tuchel’s replacement is Graham Potter.

A five-year deal is confirmed - more to follow.

Chelsea manager news latest

15:45 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea steadfastly ignoring our desire for them to #announcePotter and instead reshowing Koulibaly’s howitzer against Tottenham, nominated for goal of the month.

Since that fine start he has been sent-off against Leeds, banned against Leicester and failed to keep a clean sheet against Saints or West Ham.

Chelsea manager news latest

15:35 , Karl Matchett

Let’s take a quick look back at the transfer work the Blues have done - do they all suit Potter? There surely aren’t question marks over five of them, and even the other two are probably good additions for Potter to work with given his ability to improve individuals.

Wesley Fofana (£75m), Marc Cucurella (£60m), Raheem Sterling (£50m), Kalidou Koulibaly (£35m), Carney Chukuemeka (£20m), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£12m), Denis Zakaria (loan).

There’s also Gabriel Slonina for the long term, back with Chicago on loan, but maybe midfielder Chuckuemeka might be feeling happy at having a coach known to develop young central players in particular.

And what might Graham Potter have made of Timo Werner, we could wonder?

Chelsea manager news latest

15:15 , Karl Matchett

“We want to follow the Liverpool model, have an integrated system, let the coach have all that power...then sack him.”

Jonathan Wilson is unimpressed by the lack of continuity in decision-making at Stamford Bridge this summer.

Graham Potter’s record

14:55 , Karl Matchett

A couple of other stats to note from Potter:

The English club he’s faced most often is Aston Villa (two wins from 10 games).

The English club he has beaten most frequently is Brentford (five wins from five), with Arsenal second (four from eight).

For opposition managers, he has two wins from nine against Dean Smith and two from eight against Brendan Rodgers - his most-faced bosses while managing on these shores - while Thomas Frank (five) is the only boss he’s beaten more than twice. David Moyes, Sean Dyche and Marcelo Bielsa are among those he has celebrated against on two occasions.

Graham Potter’s record vs Premier League top six

14:36 , Karl Matchett

Obviously this isn’t going to be entirely telling given it will encapsulate time coaching two smaller sides and Brighton, who while improving are not a Premier League superpower.

But here’s a quick rundown of Potter’s managerial record in games against the usual big six from the top flight, per Transfermarkt:

vs Chelsea - 0W 4D 2L

vs Liverpool - 1W 2D 3L

vs Man City - 1W 0D 6L

vs Spurs - 3W 0D 4L

vs Arsenal - 4W 1D 3L

vs Man United - 2W 0D 6L

Chelsea manager search latest

14:20 , Karl Matchett

How will Brighton move on from Graham Potter? Their player recruitment has been truly excellent from all over Europe and beyond, so the suspicion must be that they have similar files on potential coaches too.

An interesting job for any prospective candidates to take over

Graham Potter to Chelsea latest news

14:10 , Karl Matchett

Not exactly sure what “communicated internally” is going to entail, but we can all imagine a few people who aren’t on Twitter getting the heads up over the office kettle can’t we?

In any case, this process is well underway now and Potter will be the Blues’ boss soon enough.

Latest Chelsea updates and football news

13:55 , Karl Matchett

Here’s all the latest on Chelsea’s manager search:

• Graham Potter verbally agrees to become next Chelsea head coach

• And here’s a detailed breakdown on what the Blues will get by landing him from Brighton

And the latest from the rest of the footballing world after the return of Champions League action:

• Liverpool’s defeat to Napoli was a watershed moment, writes Rich Jolly, as the team looks like it has reached the end of an era

• And Karl Matchett says the first half at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was a stark reminder of exactly what the Reds have lost this year

• Manchester United are meanwhile preparing to start their Europa League campaign - an alternative route back to the top of Europe, says Mark Critchley

• Spurs forward Richarlison has been praised after his two-goal showing last night, while five arrests were made due to crowd trouble

• Elsewhere on the continent, RB Leipzig have appointed Marco Rose as their new boss

Graham Potter ready for a challenge at Chelsea he couldn’t turn down

13:40 , Karl Matchett

By the time that Graham Potter got to sit down with the Chelsea hierarchy, the talks were strikingly straightforward. Both sides had a clear vision of what they wanted. Chelsea have been considering Potter for weeks. They think he is precisely the personality profile they want, as well as a hugely promising manager. He has meanwhile outlined in detail what he can do with this squad.

The situation has been proceeding with such a speed, in fact, that it’s fair to wonder whether anyone involved has actually stopped to consider whether this is actually the right time.

Could Potter not just wait to try and give Brighton the brilliant season this promises to be? Could Chelsea not wait until he’s offered the proof of an achievement like that? Do the big six really have to go and snatch up anything interesting that comes from the depths below them? Should Potter not wait for a surer thing, and not a situation so unknown?

The reality is that there is almost never a perfect time or situation in football. One of Potter’s rivals for the job, in Mauricio Pochettino, could tell him that. So could Brendan Rodgers. Six months ago, the Leicester City manager would have been the obvious candidate. There is now talk of whether Brighton might suit him, as Chelsea are not even looking.

Miguel Delaney breaks down the impending move of Graham Potter to Chelsea:

Graham Potter ready for a challenge at Chelsea he couldn’t turn down

Chelsea a ‘natural’ next step for Graham Potter

13:25 , Karl Matchett

Paul Robinson says the move is a “natural progression” for Graham Potter but that there are plenty of issues to sort out - starting in attack, which has been a problem position for the Seagulls, too.

“Brighton haven’t scored a lot of goals and Chelsea have had the same problem so it’s interesting how he addresses that,” he said.

Brighton star nominated for POTM after shining under Potter

13:10 , Karl Matchett

A reminder of just how good Brighton have been individually and collectively at the start of this season: Pascal Gross, playing a key role this term under Graham Potter, has been nominated alongside Erling Haaland and co for player of the month.

No, Chelsea don’t have any players nominated.

Psychology, pressing and shapeshifting: What Graham Potter will bring to Chelsea

12:55 , Karl Matchett

“Most football coaches only talk about formations, but Graham was talking about the learning process and how to build a human being. He was totally different as a football coach. For me, as a former teacher, it was amazing. He understands that the players and the staff are humans, and knows how to get as much as possible from every individual without taking the group feeling away.”

Lawrence Ostlere has delved into Potter’s past to find out exactly what makes the Brighton boss tick, and what Chelsea will be getting by appointing him as the new man in the Stamford Bridge dugout.

A very worthwhile read this lunchtime:

Psychology, pressing and shapeshifting: What Graham Potter will bring to Chelsea

Billy Gilmour: The one who got away?

12:40 , Karl Matchett

While Cucurella traded Brighton for Chelsea, spare a thought for Billy Gilmour.

He headed in the opposite direction to work with Potter and get his chance at first-team level.

“Billy’s an exciting signing for us, he’s an able footballer and a great character, he has a great personality,” Potter said after signing him.

“He’ll fit into the group and add competition in midfield. We’re really pleased to have him here. As a footballer, Billy’s very technically able. He benefits from structure and the team functioning well, which is our job. If we do that, I think he will have a really good time here.”

We’ll see in the months ahead how well the midfielder settles in with a new coach, but it won’t be Potter who improves him now. Will he harbour regrets over moving?

Graham Potter lauded for getting “the best out of the squad"

12:25 , Karl Matchett

TalkSport pundit Jason Cundy - a former player for Chelsea in the early 90s - is looking forward to seeing the individual improvement that Graham Potter brings to the squad at Stamford Bridge.

“I’ve seen what he’s done, I’ve seen with [Leandro] Trossard and [Pascal] Gross - I’m amazed those two players are still there. I thought Manchester United would go in for at least one of those.

“He gets good players and turns them into brilliant footballers. Look at what he’s done for [Marc] Cucurella. Cucurella hasn’t been the same player since he came to Chelsea!

“What he has done for some of these players, and the style of football and the way they play. You look at some of these players now.

“You think [Alexis] Mac Allister, the way that he’s turned into this brilliant [player]. He gets the best out of the squad that he’s got and I’ll tell you what, he’s got a hell of a squad at Chelsea. Make no mistake.

“I can’t wait to see when he gets his hand on this squad, what we look like. If we’re anything like Brighton, then we are in for a treat.”

Graham Potter ‘expected' to sign with Chelsea tonight

12:10 , Karl Matchett

The Athletic are reporting that Chelsea are “in the process” of drawing up agreements to land Graham Potter as the replacement for Thomas Tuchel.

Everyone basically now appears in agreement that this deal is going through and it’s just a matter of formalising the deal.

David Ornstein says it’s “expected the Englishman will sign a contract with the Stamford Bridge club tonight”, after all the paperwork is sorted.

Graham Potter set to reunite with Marc Cucurella

11:55 , Karl Matchett

There has been a bit of comment about Marc Cucurella being in the mud, so to speak, after having left Brighton in the summer in a big-money move to Chelsea. But it doesn’t appear to be based in much fact: Potter spoke extremely well on the left-back after his departure.

Had it been Wes Fofana and Brendan Rodgers reuniting we might have had a somewhat different situation, but here’s what Potter said after the “win-win” switch for Cucurella:

“We didn’t want to sell him and we didn’t need to sell him,” said Potter.

“But, at the same time, you understand that if a Champions League club comes with Champions League resources and finance and the player indicates there’s a desire to do it then it’s very difficult for us. Then we have to make sure we get the right fee, I think the right fee has been got.

“It’s another situation where everybody’s won in terms of the player’s got a great opportunity, the selling club have got a good fee and the buying club have got a good player, so win, win, win all around.

“Marc was a fantastic player for us, great guy, I like him a lot so I wish him well and we move forward as a group.”

Graham Potter applauds Brighton’s recruitment process after Marc Cucurella sale

Brighton’s game against Crystal Palace postponed due to planned rail strike

11:45 , Karl Matchett

One little detail here - Brighton themselves do play Bournemouth this weekend but do not have a game the following weekend.

The rail strike has put paid to that, with the Premier League citing “exceptional circumstances” to postpone Crystal Palace’s trip to the Amex.

If you haven’t been, it’s out in the middle of nowhere about half an hour from Brighton itself and the stadium is serviced by a rail line which stops just a couple of minutes from the ground. Great to get to, dismal to get out from if you leave at the same time as tens of thousands of other people and largely impossible to visit without trains running.

So at least a few extra days for the Seagulls to get their succession plans in order, at least after Saturday.

Brighton’s game against Crystal Palace postponed due to planned rail strike

Graham Potter leaves Brighton after saying goodbye

11:35 , Karl Matchett

Graham Potter all set to head off to London to finalise his switch as Chelsea head coach.

He won’t be holding training with Brighton today ahead of their next fixture and has said his goodbyes ahead of a departure.

Will Potter cope with Chelsea demands?

11:25 , Karl Matchett

Former England striker Stan Collymore is effusive in his praise of Graham Potter - but there are concerns over the club he’s (seemingly) walking into.

Thomas Tuchel, let’s not forget, won the Champions League with them not that long ago and was asked to go above and beyond his coaching role this summer.

His reward was a quick firing. Potter has, Swansea aside, favoured longer-term roles to build sustained improvement. Will he get that at the Bridge?

Graham Potter: His career so far

11:15 , Karl Matchett

Graham Potter’s managerial career so far:

2011-18: Ostersund, Sweden. He was promoted twice, taking them from the fourth tier initially, then achieved another promotion to the Allsvenskan - the top flight - for the first time in the club’s history. In 2017 Potter won the Swedish Cup to seal a remarkable journey, meaning his final year saw Potter guide his club in European action. Second place in the Europa League was good enough go progress, with Arsenal knocking them out.

2018-19: Swansea City. A run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and a 10th-place finish in the Championship highlighted his ability to improve teams once more and Brighton quickly came calling.

2019-present: Brighton and Hove Albion. A £3m compensation deal took Potter to the Amex three years ago and he guided them to 15th, 16th and - last season - ninth. They currently sit fourth after six games.

Graham Potter wants three Brighton staff members at Chelsea

11:05 , Karl Matchett

The Evening Standard report that Graham Potter has asked for three backroom staff members to be signed from Brighton as well as himself, while in talks with Chelsea.

Assistants Billy Reid and Bjorn Hamberg are long-term colleagues of Potter and he intends to bring them to Stamford Bridge, while Kyle Macaulay is the third - a recruitment analyst who acts as the go-between in transfer dealings between club staff and coaching group.

Tuchel’s assistants have also left the club after his sacking.

£20m compensation claimed for Chelsea to land Graham Potter

10:56 , Karl Matchett

Earlier reports suggested £16m, now John Cross of the Mirror claims £20m. That’s a hefty old fee to land a manager, though of course Chelsea have shelled out more than this repeatedly over the past few weeks.

Plus there’s the issue of Tuchel’s compensation, and any additional fees to bring in staff. The Blues are certainly committing early to a course of action.

Chelsea’s sacking of Thomas Tuchel mocked by Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville

10:49 , Karl Matchett

Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have appeared to mock Chelsea over the club’s sacking of manager Thomas Tuchel.

Chelsea announced the German’s departure on Wednesday (7 September), following Tuesday’s surprise loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the opening round of Champions League fixtures.

“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,” a Chelsea statement read. “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.”

Reacting to the sacking of Tuchel, who was appointed at Chelsea in January 2021, Carragher shared a video of the German’s recent, heated exchange with Tottenham coach Antonio Conte.

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville mock Chelsea after Thomas Tuchel sacking

Chelsea manager latest: What’s in store for Graham Potter?

10:42 , Karl Matchett

Worth a look beyond the weekend and what Graham Potter’s first tasks will be when taking over, at least between now and the international break when he’ll have a couple of weeks to really put plans in place for the following months.

• 10 Sept: first game, away to Fulham

• 14 Sept: Champions League and first home game, vs Salzburg

• 18 Sept: First home Premier League game, vs Liverpool

• Into October: N’Golo Kante returns from injury early October if all goes to plan, while matches will quickly follow against Palace, AC Milan and Manchester United among others

Psychology, pressing and shapeshifting: What Graham Potter will bring to Chelsea

10:36 , Karl Matchett

When Brighton and Hove Albion were lost in the darkness of a seven-game winless slump last winter, with a horror run of fixtures on the horizon, Graham Potter stayed remarkably calm. He didn’t make his players run harder or train longer, or pick apart their mistakes. Instead he gathered them in a room to discuss how they were feeling, and how they could harness their failure.

“He always tries to speak with us about psychological things,” Brighton’s Argentine midfielder Alexis MacAllister said recently. “He tries to do meetings for us to think about situations… it’s something not every manager does.” Results had put Potter under pressure and some of his more unusual decisions were inviting scrutiny, but he never lost the respect of his dressing room and never allowed a spiral of negativity to take hold. They responded with successive wins away at Arsenal and Spurs, and lost only once more all season in a spell that further elevated his reputation.

It is an approach that has taken Potter’s coaching journey from the yawning Swedish tundra to the gilded streets of west London, as he prepares to take the Chelsea job. For all his tactical quirks and slick football, his ability to build unity is the backbone of his management. “Styles of play don’t make you win games,” Potter told The Coaches’ Voice. “The challenge is having players believe in it, how it works.”

Lawrence Ostlere breaks down what the Blues are getting by appointing Graham Potter:

Psychology, pressing and shapeshifting: What Graham Potter will bring to Chelsea

Graham Potter still at Brighton...for now

10:28 , Karl Matchett

BBC Sport’s Simon Stone notes that Potter is at his current club Brighton ahead of today’s training session.

There have been reports that the usual pre-match press conference has been cancelled, with the Seagulls facing a trip to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon just after Chelsea face Fulham.

Graham Potter verbally agrees to become next Chelsea head coach

10:22 , Karl Matchett

Graham Potter has verbally agreed to become Chelsea’s new head coach.

The 47-year-old will continue talks with Chelsea’s new owners, but is now expected to leave Brighton for Chelsea.

New Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are understood to have met a release fee in Potter’s Amex Stadium contract, with Brighton allowing the Blues to talk to their manager.

Potter should now become the first managerial appointment of Chelsea’s new era, with the ambitious US owners determined to install a manager at the Stamford Bridge helm for the long term.

More on the approaching appointment:

Graham Potter verbally agrees to become next Chelsea head coach

Amorim potential Chelsea boss 'for the future’

10:15 , Karl Matchett

Ruben Amorim talks have indeed been held, says Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella, but more with a view to the long-term future of the club rather than right now.

Another journalist with close Chelsea ties there who is also saying it’s done.

Potter-in-waiting will surely lead the Blues against Fulham this weekend.

Graham Potter has ‘verbally’ agreed to take Chelsea job

10:08 , Karl Matchett

Increasing numbers of reports say the deal is not far off done and paperwork is the main obstacle now.

The Telegraph’s Matt Law adds that the “verbal” agreement is there between club and boss, so we could see the search for Tuchel’s successor ended very quickly today.

Brighton will be well-compensated for this switch, especially if further coaching staff members follow Potter to London.

At a new Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel fell victim to one of football’s oldest truths

10:00 , Karl Matchett

For all the talk of a new way at Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel ultimately fell victim to one of football’s oldest truths. He had lost authority over the players, so ended up losing his job. All of this came to a head in the dismal 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, that again saw a Chelsea team that were a disconnected mess.

The new hierarchy made their first big managerial decision overnight, informing Tuchel in a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday morning. It was a move that was ironically far swifter than any by Roman Abramovich, but the concerns had been growing for months. They actually came from another irony, that leaves the club with a significant problem and a warning as to why a sporting director is imperative.

Tuchel had actually been entrusted with more power than any modern Chelsea coach. With all of the previous football hierarchy gone, right up to Marina Granovskaia, the German was the most senior football official at the club.

This created a situation where, in stark contrast to the Abramovich era, every transfer decision was run past him. He wasn’t given a single player he didn’t want. This meant he overruled some big deals, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Jules Kounde.

It also means Chelsea now have a new squad almost entirely shaped by a manager who isn’t there. That will lead to a disconnect, but that only follows on from the summer. This was where Tuchel’s future really became uncertain.

Miguel Delaney delves into the final weeks of the Tuchel era:

At a new Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel fell victim to one of football’s oldest truths

Next Brighton boss: Latest odds

09:55 , Karl Matchett

Probably worth noting that in spite of that Amorim news, betting is mostly suspended on Potter being the next Chelsea boss.

Who takes his place at Brighton is still very open, though. Here are the latest odds via Betfair:

Brendan Rodgers 9/2

Ange Postecoglou 5/1

Kjetil Knutsen 6/1

Karel Geraerts 6/1

Felice Mazzu 7/1

Thomas Frank 15/2

Nathan Jones 9/1

Chelsea also hold talks with Ruben Amorim

09:50 , Karl Matchett

Here’s a new name in the frame - Sky Sports report that talks have been held with Ruben Amorim as well. The 37-year-old moved to Sporting CP in 2020 after impressing at Braga.

“Todd Boehly and Chelsea are doing due dilligence...they have approached the job with other options and they have discussed the job with the young Portuguese manager at Sporting in Lisbon, Ruben Amorim.

“Boehly has spoken directly with him and he’s on Chelsea’s radar. They are very impressed with the work he has been doing.”

Zidane the ‘best’ choice for Chelsea boss

09:43 , Karl Matchett

The punditry world can sometimes offer pearls of wisdom and sometimes, well, it provides opinions which can be described in other ways.

Paul Merson picks former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, which you can make your own minds up on which side of the fence it falls.

“For me, the only one who ticks the box is Zinedine Zidane. He is a legend. Nobody is questioning him. He was one of the best players in the world and he has managed Real Madrid. He has managed top-drawer players. He is not a manager who wants to be around for five years and build a project, he just wants it now. He is not going to build a team. He wants a team that is full of superstars already. People will listen to him.”

09:40 , Karl Matchett

ESPN and BT football journalist Julien Laurens says the deal is done and Potter will make the move.

But as he points out, that’s only the start of it: how will the new boss get this group of players on board, bigger names than he is used to who have claimed countless trophies and commanded massive transfer fees?

It’ll be very different to what Potter is used to.

Which other managers are potential Tuchel replacements?

09:30 , Karl Matchett

It’s certainly Graham Potter’s to lose right now, you feel, with the Brighton boss seemingly having a free run at the hotseat at Stamford Bridge.

But that doesn’t guarantee he’ll take it - he has rejected the chance to move beforehand and is doubtless switched-on enough to seek some assurances about his role, who he’ll work with and future recruitment.

So who else are the possibilities to take over if Potter doesn’t trade the south coast for west London?

Next Chelsea manager: Candidates to replace Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel’s exit a self-inflicted wound after Chelsea’s scattergun spending

09:23 , Karl Matchett

Jurgen Klopp has seen off five Chelsea managers, plus the odd caretaker, during his time at Liverpool, but it was only four when he surveyed Thomas Tuchel’s inheritance. “This Chelsea squad is a present and I am pretty sure Thomas sees it like that,” he said in January 2021.

A few weeks later, Chelsea won at Anfield; three months after that, they won the Champions League. Klopp might have excelled as the analyst but Tuchel proved himself the alchemist, taking a group who were ninth when Frank Lampard was sacked to continental glory.

Now it is Tuchel who has been sacked. He achieved at great speed but his reign unravelled similarly quickly. His successor may deem the squad he has bequeathed a gift; for Tuchel, it looked an expensive mess. Tuchel flourished with other managers’ players and failed with his own, albeit in a small sample size. Chelsea spent around £260million this summer to get worse; arguably, to descend into crisis inside seven games.

Wesley Fofana played two matches for Tuchel, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang one in their reunion, Denis Zakaria and Carney Chukwuemeka none after arriving. Raheem Sterling at least got seven, thought he spent some of the last in central midfield. Perhaps, in time, Tuchel’s recruits would have found roles and his buying would have produced a team that was definitively his own, but it looked like scattergun spending that brought self-inflicted wounds. Tuchel ended up fatally hurt.

Rich Jolly looks at how and why it all came to a crashing end for Tuchel:

Thomas Tuchel’s exit a self-inflicted wound after Chelsea’s scattergun spending

Chelsea and Graham Potter in talks over manager’s job

09:18 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea are in talks with Graham Potter over the Brighton and Hove Albion head coach replacing Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked on Wednesday.

The 47-year-old is naturally open to the discussion, and has a release clause in his contract. That clause also comes down with every year of his contract, but does contain a few variables, and isn’t as simple as a straight fee.

It is why, if a deal is struck, the likely fee would be £16m.

Brighton have granted Potter permission to speak to Chelsea as that is how they do business, and do not seek to stand in the way of conversations taking place.

Miguel Delaney’s update on the search:

Chelsea and Graham Potter in talks over manager’s job