Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter is the front-runner to replace Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea after the German was sacked following a poor start to the season.
Chelsea fell to a 1-0 defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening, the Blues' third loss of the season so far, and ultimately the result that saw Tuchel sacked as Chelsea manager. The search for his successor now begins, and Todd Boehly has been given permission by Brighton to speak with manager Potter over the vacant role.
Boehly will want to have a new manager appointed as soon as possible, with former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino also in contention. Potter is regarded as one of the best managers in England, and the 47-year-old has started the season with Brighton fantastically as the Seagulls sit fourth in the Premier League table.
READ MORE: Mason Mount disagrees with Thomas Tuchel on Chelsea mindset after shock Dinamo Zagreb defeat
So, if Chelsea were to appoint Potter as their new manager, how could he perform? Could he better Tuchel's results, or would he fail to make improvements?
We 'appointed' Graham Potter as Chelsea manager for the remainder of the season
For this simulation to happen, we used the in-game editor for Football Manager 22 to allow Potter to move from Brighton to Chelsea. We also updated the Chelsea squad with the latest transfers and the Premier League with the latest results.
In Potter's first season at the club, the English boss re-found N'Golo Kante's best form, with the Frenchman the best performer at the club, averaging a rating of 7.24 per game.
Kai Havertz ended the season as Chelsea's top scorer as he notched 25 goals in all competitions, and Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana both performed exceptionally in defence.
Edouard Mendy won the player of the match awards eight times in the 2022/23 season, the most in the club. Sterling played less than he would've wanted as he commonly rotated with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Mason Mount was deployed in a deeper role under Potter, acting as more of a box-to-box midfielder.
Interestingly, Potter's best result as Chelsea boss came against his former side, with Chelsea beating Brighton 6-0 at Stamford Bridge. The Seagulls plummeted down the table after Potter's departure, ending the season in 16th place.
At the end of the season, FM22 released the Best XI from the Chelsea squad, using player statistics, league data and other measures to complete the team.
Full Chelsea Best XI (3-4-2-1): Mendy; James, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Fofana, Chilwell; Kante, Kovacic; Mount, Havertz; Sterling.
Potter kept to the usual three at the back formation that worked so well for him at Brighton. With Tuchel often deploying a similar system, it's clear to see why Potter is a target for the Blues.
Interestingly, ex-Brighton defender Marc Cucurella didn't make the best XI under Potter, with Ben Chilwell being preferred. Kalidou Kouliably and Fofana were joined in defence by Chalobah, whilst other summer signings Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria failed to make the best XI.
Chelsea's results from the 2022/23 season under Potter
Chelsea finished third in the Premier League under Potter in our simulation, behind only Liverpool and champions Manchester City. A strong end to the season saw the Blues overtake Arsenal into the third place spot, with Potter's side finishing nine points ahead of Spurs in fifth.
The Blues ended the season on 72 points - two less than Tuchel tallied last season. They also scored 68 goals and conceded 37 - eight fewer goals scored and five more conceded.
The Blues added to their top four finish with a trophy, with Potter going one step further in the Carabao Cup than Tuchel could last season. After beating Man City, Liverpool and West Ham on their way to the final, goals from Havertz and Conor Gallagher secured a 2-1 win over Arsenal to win the trophy.
They reached the semi-finals in the other cup competitions, but that's where their journeys ended. Chelsea lost on penalties to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semis after a 2-2 draw, and despite winning 2-1 against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final 2nd leg, the Blues lost 3-2 on aggregate and were eliminated.
Overall, this simulation predicts that if Potter was to be appointed the new Chelsea manager, he could potentially bring a trophy to Stamford Bridge and a top-four finish in his first season at the club, despite the club's poor start under Tuchel. The short-term results aren't exactly spectacular, and time will tell if the appointment works out for the Blues long-term.
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