The sacking of Thomas Tuchel was just confirmed earlier this morning but Chelsea are already well into their search for a replacement.
After a dreadful start to the 2022/23 campaign, winning only three out of the Blues' opening six Premier League fixtures while losing 1-0 away to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday in their UEFA Champions League opener, the London giants decided to part ways with the German tactician. However, while this move wasn't solely down to the results, the club were undeniably in disarray despite their hefty summer spending spree, as Mount and Co. failed to impress in their three wins so far: against Everton, Leicester, and West Ham.
With European football underway, Chelsea have no time to waste as the games will come thick and fast. The coaching staff will take temporary charge at Stamford Bridge, with a caretaker all but destined to sit in the dugout this Saturday when the FIFA Club World Cup holders visit Fulham.
However, a shortlist of candidates have already been drawn up, with the no.1 name on that list being a head coach well-known to Premier League fans. That man is none other than Graham Potter, with the Telegraph reporting that the Brighton tactician is the early favorite to replace the aforementioned German.
In fact, Chelsea have reportedly already reached out to the Seagulls to seek permission to begin discussions with the English boss. However, the 47-year-old has a buyout clause in his contract, reportedly worth £16M ($18M). Despite this, Sky Sports report that the London giants are ready to buy him out of that contract and have thus been granted permission to speak with Graham, who is now set to head to the English capital for a sit-down with Todd Boehly.
Brighton have given Chelsea permission to speak to Graham Potter pic.twitter.com/Pso6ZfdufA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 7, 2022
However, Potter isn't the only name on their shortlist. Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham and PSG boss who is currently out of work after being sacked by the Ligue 1 champions, is an option while Zinedine Zidane is also being eyed. Both men are free agents, making those acquisitions a lot easier. Additionally, Benfica manager Roger Schmidt is an outside candidate as well.
Despite this, the preference for the Brighton boss makes sense as he also employs a three-at-the-back system and could thus slot in perfectly. Furthermore, the Englishman is seen in high regard due to his tactical nous and could establish an attractive brand of football at Stamford Bridge as things abruptly became stale under Tuchel.
