Graham Potter's switch from Brighton head coach to Chelsea's new boss is seemingly imminent.
Todd Boehly made the decision to sack Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday, and the American has wasted no time contacting his ideal replacement. football.london understands that Potter has reached a verbal agreement to become Chelsea's new head coach after meeting Boehly for talks on Wednesday.
No contracts have been signed just yet, but Potter is expected to become the Blues' new manager – with the club hoping to appoint him before Saturday afternoon's Premier League match with Fulham.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly's Marina Granovskaia decision that paved the way for Graham Potter to join Chelsea
After spending a world record £273.5million in the transfer window, Boehly's decision to sack Tuchel just six days after the window slammed shut came as a massive shock. Potter is likely to have similar backing under the American's ownership, which means he, and his backroom staff have a huge recruitment job on their hands in the future.
One person Potter reportedly wants to bring with him to Stamford Bridge is Brighton's recruitment guru, Kyle Macaulay. The pair have worked together at Ostersunds, Swansea City and Brighton, with Macaulay playing a leading role in the Seagulls' much-lauded recruitment in recent years.
With that in mind, let's take a brief look at who he is.
Professional career
Macaulay had a brief career in the professional environment. After spending two years with Derby County in his youth, he was released. He eventually moved to Aberdeen to play under his uncle Steve Paterson. He debuted in 2006 but was later loaned out to Peterhead in November of that year. He eventually signed for them on a permanent deal in January 2007.
After leaving Peterhead in that same year, Macaulay was out of football for a few months until he signed for Alloa Athletic after a successful trial period. He continued playing semi-professional football in the Scottish League system until 2012 when he graduated from the University of Stirling.
Relationship with Potter
Macaulay began his first non-playing role in Sweden at Ostersunds FK, where he worked as a performance analyst for Potter. He later joined Swansea in a similar role in June 2018 when Potter moved to the club before joining up with Potter once more at Brighton in May 2019.
Chelsea currently have room in their recruitment department, with Boehly having taken up an interim sporting director role following Marina Granovskaia's departure from the club. Although the club want to bring in a new, permanent sporting director before the January window, Potter is keen for Macaulay to have some role in the recruitment setup.
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