In one of the fastest signing turnarounds ever, Chelsea has found a Thomas Tuchel replacement one day after firing the German coach.
Today, Chelsea FC announced their new manager, Brighton’s Graham Potter.
Potter, who led Brighton to a ninth place finish in last year’s table and currently has Brighton overachieving in fourth, will move to London on a five-year deal, per ESPN.
Potter is the first manager under Chelsea’s new American ownership, Todd Boehly. Boehly reportedly decided to fire Tuchel before Chelsea’s shock 1-0 upset to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
Though Tuchel led Chelsea to a Champions League title and a Club World Cup, The Blues have been uneven at best since January. While Tuchel’s personal life has been dragged through the British tabloids, reports have surfaced of increasing locker room tensions with players no longer trusting Tuchel’s system. Boehly’s move to hire Potter represents a planned culture change from the new US ownership.
For Potter’s part, he is a bit of a paradox in that he’s a safe gamble. While he’s known for a consistent, team-based attacking style, his managerial skills have never been tested in the Champions League and have barely proven themselves in the Premier League. It will be interesting to see if he can win his new players over, even if some of his new players are actually his old ones.
There has been unrest amongst Chelsea’s attacking players for months, which is part of what’s sparked the USMNT fan favorite #FreePulisic movement on Twitter. Hopefully, Captain America can find his place in Potter’s ranks.
Do you think Chelsea made the right call? Sound off below!
Featured Image: Pexels/Mikhail Nilov/ChelseaFC/DM
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