Brighton have given Chelsea permission to speak to Graham Potter as the club seek a replacement for Thomas Tuchel, according to reports.
The 47-year-old is now expected to hold talks with Chelsea after Tuchel was sacked Tuchel on Wednesday, hours after his 100th game in charge ended with a 1-0 Champions League defeat away at Dinamo Zagreb.
Brighton have given Chelsea permission to speak to Graham Potter ✅pic.twitter.com/Pso6ZfdufA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 7, 2022
According to reports from Europe, Potter, who has excelled on the south coast since taking charge in 2019, heads a shortlist for the job which also includes Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane.
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Brighton finished in ninth place with 51 points last season — their highest tally in the English Premier League — and Potter is under contract until 2025.
Potter, 47, has won plaudits for Brighton’s attacking style of play, and their progress has continued unabated this season despite losing midfielder Yves Bissouma to Spurs and defender Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for a combined fee of more than £90 million.
Pochettino is out of work after being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain, but it has previously reported that the Argentine coach would be open to a return to English football. He was considered for the Manchester United job this summer before Erik ten Hag’s appointment at Old Trafford.
Contacts ongoing between Chelsea and Brighton for Graham Potter, as he’s the priority option — Mauricio Pochettino has been proposed to Todd Boehly as available option in the four-names list. 🚨🔵 #CFC
Talks ongoing — Boehly, on it. pic.twitter.com/6ymrtbWPJl
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 7, 2022
Zidane is also a free agent after resigning from Madrid in May last year, saying the LaLiga club lacked faith in him despite delivering three Champions League titles in a row during his first stint in charge at the Bernabeu.
Chelsea are keen to make a swift appointment, but there is no candidate immediately lined up to replace Tuchel.
It remains likely the English club will face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday with a member of the backroom staff in interim charge.
