Brighton boss Graham Potter is Chelsea’s top target to replace Thomas Tuchel after sacking – but Todd Boehly warned about experience

Brighton have given permission to Chelsea to hold talks with Graham Potter over becoming their new manager.

The Seagulls boss has emerged as the leading choice of Blues owner Todd Boehly to replace Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked on Wednesday morning.

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Tuchel delivered a Champions League for Chelsea, but was axed by the new regime

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Potter is Chelsea’s top target to replace Tuchel

The 47-year-old Englishman is set to travel to London on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the role.

It is understood the decision to axe Tuchel was taken before Tuesday night’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.

Chelsea’s new owners became concerned at a number of disappointing results and it is understood there was also a breakdown in communications with chairman Boehly and Tuchel.

Boehly backed Tuchel with more than £270million in transfers this summer – including the signing of former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on deadline day.

However, Chelsea had made an underwhelming start to the 2022/23 season.

Now Potter is at the top of the list to replace him with the coach set to begin talks with the Premier League giants.

Potter, 47, has received plenty of plaudits for the job he has done with the Seagulls, who currently sit fourth in the Premier League with wins over Manchester United and a 5-2 drubbing of Leicester this season.

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Potter is set to hold talks with Chelsea over becoming their new manager

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Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was full of praise for Potter as he reacted to Tuchel’s sacking.

He told talkSPORT: “I love watching Brighton play and I could eulogise about Graham Potter all day.

“He probably will go on to bigger and better things, but it was only last season when Brighton went on a bad run and couldn’t win at home, and there was one particular game where fans were booing. Things in football change very quickly.

“But I wouldn’t be disappointed if I was a Chelsea fan if Potter came in the door.

“You’d think [Mauricio] Pochettino would be ahead of him, though.

“Neither of them have silverware behind them, but Poch at least has experience of being in charge of Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, working with big-name players, egos, superstars – Potter has not done that.”

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Boehly’s decision to sack Tuchel is the biggest call of his reign so far

There will of course be other managerial targets for Chelsea with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino also mooted as a possible option.

Simon Jordan, however, does not feel the former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss is the right man for the job.

The White and Jordan host said: “They’ve obviously got someone lined up. Who they put in will tell you how they view what they’re doing next, and that will be the fascinating thing, for me.

“God forbid I hope it’s not Pochettino, but it may well be. I don’t think Pochettino would be the answer, either, but he’ll probably be right in the mix of it.”

Murphy added: “Pochettino has not really got the CV what they would be looking for in terms of trophies won.

“Graham Potter hasn’t got the trophies won either, but he’s got great stock because of what he’s achieved at Brighton and the way he conducts himself, the improvement of players under him and his tactical awareness.”

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