Graham Potter set for Chelsea job after talks with Todd Boehly as Brighton to receive £20m compensation – with Englishman wanted in charge for Fulham clash on Saturday

Chelsea are confident of appointing Graham Potter as their new manager imminently.

The Blues have moved quickly to try to wrap up a deal for the Brighton boss after the surprise decision to sack Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning.

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The 47-year-old met Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbaliin in London on Wednesday afternoon for talks after Brighton reluctantly granted permission.

Chelsea want to appoint Potter before Saturday’s trip to Fulham, which you can listen to live on talkSPORT.

Further talks are expected on Thursday morning but the Blues do not envisage any problems having put together a lucrative multi-year contract for the Englishman.

Brighton are entitled to £20million compensation due to a release clause in Potter’s contract, though will not that present a problem to Chelsea’s new ownership.

Potter had due to hold his pre-match press conference on Thursday ahead of Brighton’s ahead of Saturday’s visit to Bournemouth, but that has since been cancelled by the Seagulls.

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The decision to axe Tuchel was taken before Tuesday night’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.

Chelsea’s new owners became concerned at a number of disappointing results and it is understood there was also a breakdown in communications with Boehly and Tuchel.

Boehly backed Tuchel with more than £270million in transfers this summer – including the signing of former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on deadline day.

However, Chelsea had made an underwhelming start to the 2022/23 season.

Potter has received plenty of plaudits for the job he has done with the Seagulls, who currently sit fourth in the Premier League havng secured wins over Manchester United and a 5-2 drubbing of Leicester this season.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was full of praise for Potter as he reacted to Tuchel’s sacking.

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He told talkSPORT: “I love watching Brighton play and I could eulogise about Graham Potter all day.

“He probably will go on to bigger and better things, but it was only last season when Brighton went on a bad run and couldn’t win at home, and there was one particular game where fans were booing. Things in football change very quickly.

“But I wouldn’t be disappointed if I was a Chelsea fan if Potter came in the door.”

Should the move for Potter fall through, Mauricio Pochettino has also been mooted as a possible option for Chelsea.