Graham Potter appears to be closing in on the managerial vacancy at Chelsea with his latest Brighton and Hove Albion press conference having been cancelled.
The Blues confirmed that they had sacked former boss Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday following their 1-0 Champions League reverse at the hands of Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb. Potter immediately became one of the favourites for the role having caught the eye with his excellent work down on the South Coast.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was granted permission by Brighton to open talks with the former Swansea City and Ostersunds schemer on Wednesday after he expressed his intent to pay the release clause written into his current contract. Consequently, Potter travelled down to the capital for face-to-face discussions with the Chelsea hierarchy before returning to Brighton and was spotting arriving at the Seagulls’ training ground on Thursday morning - potentially to say his farewells.
It remains to be seen if he is appointed as the Blues’ next head coach but a huge hint has been dropped regarding his immediate future. According to The Athletic, Potter’s upcoming press conference ahead of the weekend’s clash with Bournemouth has been cancelled.
As per reports, there is hope that the 47-year-old will be in the Stamford Bridge dugout for this weekend’s showdown with London rivals Fulham.
Despite that, current Brighton playmaker Alexis MacAllister has expressed his hope that Potter remains at the AMEX Stadium for the foreseeable future. Speaking with Sky Sports, he said: "Tactically he [Potter] is amazing and the coaching staff are really good to help us in every aspect.
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“He is really important for us. I am really pleased I am working with him.
“He will be an amazing coach and hopefully he will stay here for his life but at the same time we know that maybe difficult.”
Should the deal to move to Stamford Bridge go through as expected then Potter would become the first manager to be appointed by the new ownership in west London. Just in case an agreement proves difficult, however, it appears that Boehly has been sounding out potential alternatives.
Reports have linked former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino with the role while Sky Sports have suggested that Sporting Clube de Portugal schemer Ruben Amorim could potentially be an option.
Whether Potter goes to Chelsea or not, Brighton will be hoping to continue their excellent start to the season regardless of whether he leads them against Bournemouth. The Seagulls currently sit fourth in the Premier League table having won four out of their opening six matches of the campaign so far.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have endured a frustrating start to the new season with three defeats in their opening seven matches of the campaign in all competitions - a run that includes the embarrassing reverse in Zagreb.
