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Tuchel sacked: Should Graham Potter take over as Chelsea's new manager? Pundits and fans give their view

Chelsea have named Brighton's Graham Potter on a shortlist of candidates to replace Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked on Wednesday following the club’s disappointing start to the campaign.

football thomas tuchel sacked Should Graham Potter take over as Chelsea's new manager pundits and fans give their view snt
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First Published Sep 7, 2022, 8:04 PM IST

Brighton has permitted Chelsea to speak with Graham Potter about the open managerial position at the club. Potter is one of the candidates shortlisted by the Blues to succeed Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked on Wednesday after the team's dismal start to the season. 

Following the club's 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League debut, the west Londoners released a statement announcing that Tuchel had left. 

Also read: Thomas Tuchel sacked: Who will take over as Chelsea manager? A look at top 4 contenders

According to Sky Sports, Potter has permitted Chelsea to speak with him. Potter is expected to travel to London to talk with the Blues' new owner Todd Boehly. 

After leading Brighton to its best-ever Premier League finish of ninth last season, the 47-year-old has gained admirers for his work at the Amex Stadium. With 13 points from their first six games of the current Premier League season, the Seagulls are currently fourth, and Potter's adaptable strategies have won over South Coast fans.

After stints in control of Swansea City and Swedish club Ostersund FK, he has been in charge of the Seagulls since 2019. The rumoured 16 million-pound release clause in Potter's Brighton contract is one that Chelsea is eager to exercise. 

Following Tuchel's departure, the Blues are eager to move quickly and have formally approached Brighton within hours of the German's departure. Chelsea also plans to speak with Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane about the position.

"Chelsea is a very ruthless club"

Meanwhile, football pundits have shared their view on whether Potter should take over the role of manager at Stamford Bridge.

Jamie Carragher believes Potter is destined to move on to bigger and better things but says taking the Chelsea job could be a risk. "It's a very ruthless club, Chelsea," he told Sky Sports. "I'm not sure if he is the exact fit. Maybe Chelsea are saying they want to do things differently in the future in terms of having a coach in charge rather than a manager."

Also read: Revealed: Why Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel; was 'no' for signing Cristiano Ronaldo the reason?

"If I was Graham Potter I'd find that very hard to believe in the talks I was having with the new ownership at Chelsea. He's going to be there for two or three years because they have just got rid of a manager within six games. Of course, it's a huge step up and at some stage in his managerial career he will want to manage at the top and Chelsea are one of the top clubs," the former Liverpool star added. 

"They are still world champions right now. You fear for Graham Potter that he will be in the same boat as every other Chelsea manager for the last ten years unless he gets results instantly," Carragher stated.

"When they change managers they always seem to get success so it was always difficult to criticise them. In the Abramovich era they were very ruthless with managers. Maybe that will change with Potter. As I said, if I was Graham Potter, on the back of what they have done with Thomas Tuchel I'd be very wary of that; getting promised in the talks he has with the club. Sooner or later Graham Potter will move on from Brighton. He's done a brilliant job there. Everyone loves his team, the football they play. It will be interesting if he can get those ideas across to a Chelsea team if he does take the job," he concluded.

"Going into Chelsea is all about managing players and their egos"

Danny Mills reckons Potter will face an 'even bigger step up' if he takes over at Chelsea than David Moyes encountered when he swapped Everton for Manchester United. 

"I'd be very wary. It is a huge step up in terms of Champions League football, those types of things. We all understand that. But it seems to be a little bit of a snake pit at the moment. Chelsea have all those new players coming in, lots of different opinions, the ownership structure – we don't really know who is sat at the top of that or who is working under who or who is in charge," Mills said.

Also read: Thomas Tuchel sacked: Chelsea fans stunned; Aubameyang's 59-minute partnership mocked

"Potter is a very good manager, a very good coach who is highly regarded. Going into Chelsea is about managing those players and their egos more than anything else. It is not necessarily about being a good coach. Graham Potter is a fantastic coach but he hasn't had to make that step up. Is it the equivalent to David Moyes going to Manchester United? It is an even bigger step up, to go from Brighton where he can go a little bit under the radar and do his own recruitment to go to Chelsea where the expectations are huge, it is very difficult," Mills added.

Meanwhile, Chelsea fans too shared their view on whether Potter should replace Tuchel at Stamford Bridge. Here's a look at their reactions:

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