Following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea have moved quickly to appoint Graham Potter as their new head coach.
The Englishman has left fellow Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion to sign a five-year deal with the Blues.
Head coach Graham Potter is leaving the club after deciding to join Chelsea. Also departing are his assistant Billy Reid, first-team coaches Bjorn Hamberg and Bruno, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay.— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 8, 2022
Head coach Graham Potter is leaving the club after deciding to join Chelsea. Also departing are his assistant Billy Reid, first-team coaches Bjorn Hamberg and Bruno, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay.
It is believed Chelsea have paid over £20 million to secure the services of Potter and some of his backroom team, including assistant Billy Reid, first-team coaches Bjorn Hamberg and Bruno, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay.
Speaking about the deal to bring Potter to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said, “He is a proven coach and an innovator in the Premier League who fits our vision for the club.
“Not only is he extremely talented on the pitch, he has skills and capabilities that extend beyond the pitch which will make Chelsea a more successful club.
“He has had a major impact at his previous clubs and we look forward to his positive impact at Chelsea.”
Potter finished ninth with Brighton in the Premier League last season, which was a fantastic achievement and they also made a strong start to the current campaign.
Potter started his managerial career at Ostersunds FK in Sweden before moving to Wales and Swansea City. When Potter joined Ostersunds FK, they were playing in the fourth tier of Swedish football and he propelled them to the topflight and the Europa League.
There are no doubts about the ability of Potter as a coach and his methods have worked at all three of his previous clubs.
However, he will never have felt the pressure associated with managing Chelsea and that is going to be something new Potter will have to deal with in his new job.
He has always had some margin for error at his previous clubs but that will not be the case at Stamford Bridge. Success must be immediate and that means competing for all the major trophies.
Anything less will not suffice and that will be unfamiliar territory for Potter. How he will cope with the expectation levels at Chelsea will be one of the defining factors of Potter’s time at the club.
There were times, even last season when Brighton enjoyed a lot of success, where Potter struggled to win matches in the Premier League.
At one stage in the 2021/22 campaign, Brighton went 13 Premier League games without a win. A run like that will not be acceptable at Chelsea.
Last season, Brighton lost 6 league fixtures in a row between the 15th of February and the 16th of March. That will not be acceptable at Chelsea.
Potter has the ability as a manager to bring out the best in players and there are plenty of high quality players at Chelsea who have yet to perform this season.
However, despite having a five-year contract, a disappointing run of results will not sit well with the fans or board and the real test for Potter will come following a couple of bad results.