Graham Potter is close to being appointed as the new head coach of Chelsea, football.london has been told.
As reported on Thursday morning, Potter has reached a verbal agreement with the club to become the next head coach after Thomas Tuchel was sacked on Wednesday. Potter, along with Mauricio Pochettino, were identified as the main two candidates to replace Tuchel and it looks like the former has won that race.
Brighton granted Potter permission to hold talks with Chelsea on Wednesday. Potter travelled up to London from the south coast and held a face-to-face meeting with Todd Boehly and the two reached an agreement.
READ MORE: Graham Potter agrees to become new Chelsea head coach after Thomas Tuchel exit
Potter is now set to be appointed as Chelsea's new head coach in the next hours, with the west London club hopeful they can confirm the news before their match against Fulham on Saturday afternoon. Before then, the two parties need to sort out formalities before the deal is official.
The soon-to-be Chelsea head coach has developed quite the reputation since being appointed Brighton manager more than three years ago. He's turned the Seagulls into a fascinating team to watch, with high-tempo football both in and out of possession.
It's something that hasn't gone unnoticed around the Premier League. Even two of the most elite managers in the division – Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool and Pep Guardiola of Manchester City – both have plenty of admiration for Potter.
Back in March of this year, where Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners against Brighton, Klopp had nothing but respect for Potter on the day. The Reds boss said: "He is definitely [one of the best coaches].
"I respect a lot what Graham is doing. I really hope that people here know what they have. They have lost the five games but that is the Premier League. In these kinds of things it is very important on the way you lose it and today they played a good game.
"I think we were better, more decisive in the right moments, and there are a few issues that Brighton have, definitely, but the way he [Potter] sets the team up and the way they play I could not respect more. Between football people, Graham is really highly regarded.
"I like watching his team a lot, I don't like playing them too much. He's a really good one."
Guardiola, meanwhile, shares a similar opinion than Klopp and also holds Potter in very high regard. Speaking in January 2021, the Man City boss said: "Brighton are a joy to watch, a joy to analyse. At the same time, when you see them you are concerned about their quality.
"We [Man City] will need to be at the highest standards and level to compete against them. I'm absolutely a big fan of Graham Potter.
"Everybody plays in his positions, the ball comes to the positions, players move with freedom and everyone knows what they have to do. They have the courage to play everywhere."
Chelsea are looking to act swiftly following the departure of Tuchel. Blues first-team coach Anthony Barry is taking charge of the side's training sessions while the club look to finalise the appointment of Potter. Things are moving quickly, though, and Chelsea should have their man in the coming hours with a fixture against Fulham looming at the weekend.
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