On Wednesday morning, Chelsea took the bold decision to cut ways with Thomas Tuchel after concluding he was not the right person to take the club forward under the new ownership. The club reached out to Brighton in an attempt to speak with Graham Potter who then traveled to London to meet with Todd Boehly to promptly replace the German.
It was agreed upon and finalized in time for Saturday's league match versus Fulham. He has committed to working in West London for the next five years. The 47-year-old, who had been in charge of Swansea City and Ostersunds in the past, has left Brighton with a good reputation.
Through his efforts, Potter led the south coast club to their highest Premier League finish to date (9th). New at Chelsea, Potter has the pressure of trying to make the top four and attempt to go as far as possible in the UEFA Champions League.
The sum Chelsea paid to Brighton for Graham Potter
It has been reported that Chelsea spent up to £20 million (€23m) in compensation to lure Potter and his staff away from the Amex Stadium as per BBC. This is on top of the reported £15 million it cost them to fire Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea triggered a variable release clause in Potter's contract with Brighton worth something in the neighborhood of £16 million. His longtime assistants Billy Reid and Bjorn Hamberg, as well as recruitment analyst Kyle Macaulay, are anticipated to follow him, taking Brighton's total compensation to around £20m.
Potter prefers to devote his time to coaching, so Macaulay would function as a go-between when it comes to discussing transfer prospects with the rest of the club's recruiting department. His coaching career has taken him from Sweden to Wales and back to England, and both Reid and Hamberg have accompanied him on his travels.
All three would be taking over for fired the German boss and his former assistants Zsolt Low and Arno Michels, with Beni Weber, the club's analyst, also departing Stamford Bridge. The Blues have just completed the most expensive transfer window in English history, spending almost £250 million on new players.
