After the shock dismissal of Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning, Chelsea have turned their attention to Brighton manager Graham Potter for the vacancy.
While the decision to relieve Tuchel of his duties has baffled the majority of Chelsea fans, it is one that the Blues must accept as Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have made their choice.
In a statement posted by Chelsea, the owners clearly outlined the reasons for parting company with the German, who will go down as one of the most successful managers in the club’s history.
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They wrote: “As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.”
And now it appears that the owners have chosen their new man, with Potter holding talks over the vacant role as he looks set to join ahead of Saturday’s clash against Fulham.
The 47-year-old has gained high profile admirers in the footballing world for the achievements throughout his career, most recently with the Seagulls.
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However, the most impressive spell of his managerial career may have come abroad, leading Swedish side Östersunds Fotbollsklubb from the fourth tier to Europa League football before leaving for Swansea.
In his most recent role, Potter has won 42 matches, drawn 46 and lost 47 for Brighton as the club played some of the most entertaining football in England.
The Seagulls became notorious for an attractive, attacking style of football, generating the fifth best expected goals rate in the Premier League last season.
However, Potter did not have an abundance of resources at his disposal, having to find hidden gems to recruit to his side such as Marc Cucurella, who joined Chelsea this summer.
With the Spaniard already at Stamford Bridge, Potter will have at least one familiar face when he arrives and somebody that he knows he can trust going into his first match of the season.
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Succeeding Tuchel will be a tough job for Potter, with the Blues looking uninspiring in the final weeks of the German’s tenure and struggling to create chances.
The English coach is the right man to change the tide at Stamford Bridge both in the short and long term.
With Brighton’s previously stated attacking prowess, Potter will look to bring this to Chelsea.
The likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane have also been linked, however there is one main reason that Potter stands out ahead of these options.
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No, the Englishman has not managed at the top of the game, yet to even take charge of a Champions League match, a competition which Tuchel and Zidane had won previously, with Pochettino also reaching the final of the competition with Tottenham Hotspur in the past.
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However, standing out ahead of the other two options to replace Tuchel, Potter plays an identical system to that which Tuchel deployed at Chelsea.
It is clear that the Blues struggled in a back four, costing Frank Lampard his job and looking shaky with a defender less when this was deployed under Tuchel.
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Potter operates in a three at the back with Brighton, a system which suits the players that he will inherit from Tuchel.
There has been a lot of criticism surrounding the Germans' use of the system, failing to find rhythm in his frontline as Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham, Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku and others failed to score regularly under Tuchel.
Potter has also failed to find a regular goal scorer in his attack, but there is one huge difference - the tools at his disposal.
The Brighton head coach had Neal Maupay and Danny Welbeck, to name two, to choose from in attack, with the Seagulls without the resources to bring in the big names that Chelsea can.
At Chelsea, he will have a proven Premier League scorer in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and some of the best young talent in the country to provide for the number nine.
Mason Mount is no doubt an upgrade on Brighton’s Solly March, with Kai Havertz also significantly improving Potter’s selection, perhaps being utilised similarly to his fellow countryman Pascal Gross.
Reece James is also one of the best wing-backs in world football, no doubt an exciting asset for Potter to get his hands on with the position key for his system, more so in the final third rather than defensively.
Under Tuchel, Chelsea became stagnant in attack as Mount and Havertz started the season particularly poorly.
Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech looked devoid of confidence from the bench and a new start in Potter’s system, which is more attacking and sees a handful of chances created a match, could revive their Chelsea careers while the Englishman's man management could be key for the wingers to regain their confidence.
Holding a Masters degree in Leadership and Emotional Management, Potter is no doubt qualified to come into a Chelsea squad with several players who are lacking in motivation and look to turn their fortunes around.
Potter’s rotation policy in attack was also impressive despite a squad with less quality than the Blues and, with the introduction of five substitutes this season, he will be able to utilise Chelsea’s superior attacking options with ease.
Brighton’s defence was also just as strong as their attack, with Lewis Dunk and Aaron Webster regulars in a back three, but Chelsea have the experience of Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly to pair alongside new signing Wesley Fofana - an unbelievable upgrade in terms of talent and experience.
The system that Potter has implemented at Brighton has got the best out of the squad at his disposal, which on paper is one of the weakest in the league.
The manager will now have access to the riches at Chelsea, with Boehly clearly keen to back the Blues further after his summer shopping spree.
The systematic tweak will no doubt show a difference in attack, with his philosophy focused more on chance creation than Tuchel’s pragmatic counter-pressing approach and this could help unlock the frustrated figures in the Blues attack, while also helping them stick with a solid defensive foundation which has proved so successful in the past.
Tuchel's five-at-the-back system focused on Chelsea's defensive qualities and allowed the Blues to be resilient at the back, often relying on a clean sheet to win the match, something which they have lacked this season.
Potter's system will allow the attackers to thrive, knowing that they have a solid defensive core to protect them and encourage players to push up and into attacking roles to enhance their chance creation and take further risks, increasing the expected goals for the Blues.
Potter will no doubt be handed time to build his squad, with his eagerness to sign Levi Colwill on loan from Chelsea perhaps paving the way for the central defender to become a staple of the Blues defence in the coming years once he returns at the end of the season.
Billy Gilmour was also targeted all summer by the Englishman, who could now be regretting the decision to strip Chelsea of one of their young stars that suits his system so well. However, Carney Chukwuemeka could make for an ideal replacement in Potter's plans.
Brighton also held an interest in Callum Hudson-Odoi this summer before his loan to Bayer Leverkusen, and perhaps Potter could look to bring the winger back in January, with the 21-year-old experienced playing as a wing-back under Tuchel, adding a string to his bow upon his eventual return to Stamford Bridge.
Despite lacking in high profile signings, Potter has never taken to the media to show his frustration in the transfer market or when things have not gone well for his sides.
Instead, the coach remained patient and worked hard on the training ground to turn things around, remaining positive - something that Chelsea will need as they look to recover after a poor start to the season.
Furthermore, it is clear that Boehly wishes to recruit a manager who will be heavily involved in transfer negotiations and identifying targets, a role in which Potter has taken at all of his previous clubs.
During his time at Swansea, he worked within budget restraints and while Brighton did not have the highest budget in the league, he identified players to suit his system and carry out what he wanted from them - something which will no doubt have caught Boehly's eye when looking for Tuchel's successor.
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Some Chelsea fans may be disappointed with the lack of a high profile name to replace Tuchel, but this option has been taken in the past with Roman Abramovich in charge.
These provided short term solutions and success, while it is clear that the new regime are targeting building a long-term relationship with Potter as they secure the services of one of the most in demand young managers in world football.
While there is understandable disappointment regarding the dismissal of Tuchel, the future will be a bright one under Potter as Chelsea look to close the gap to the top of the table when they face Fulham on Saturday, with signs of things to come as Potter implements his attacking philosophy while maintaining the successful foundation of Tuchel’s Chelsea.
Topics: Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Football, Brighton And Hove Albion, Premier League
Nick Emms