Chelsea set to appoint Brighton boss as manager in next 24 hours

Graham Potter is set to be appointed Chelsea manager in the next 24 hours, ending his three-year spell with Brighton.

The 47-year-old, according to the BBC, spoke to Chelsea owner Todd Boehly on Wednesday night after Thomas Tuchel was sacked and has reached a verbal agreement with the club.

Potter was at Brighton’s training ground on Thursday morning but did not lead the team’s session.

Chelsea hope to name a new manager before Saturday’s game away to Fulham.

The club, currently sixth in the Premier League, has also held talks with former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim about the vacant role.

Brighton are planning a press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth, but it is not clear who will speak to the media.

Former Ostersunds FK and Swansea manager Potter led Brighton to a ninth-place finish last season, the club’s highest ever top-flight finish.

A former full-back in the Football League with Stoke, West Brom and York, Potter began his managerial career with Ostersunds FK in 2010, guiding them from the fourth tier of Swedish football to the first, winning the 2017 Swedish Cup and reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League.

He then took charge of Swansea City in June 2018, spending one season with the Championship side before joining Brighton following Chris Hughton’s dismissal.

Potter, who has been tipped as a future England boss, has led Brighton to fourth in the table this season after winning four, drawing one and losing one of their six Premier League games.