Chelsea appoint Graham Potter in time for Saturday's crunch Fulham clash

Former Chelsea player Joe Cole has claimed that Manchester United will be "kicking themselves" after Thomas Tuchel's recent departure from his former club.

Manchester United will regret not hiring Graham Potter when they had the chance, according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson.The Red Devils thought about hiring Potter when looking for the man to take over from Ralf Rangnick in the summer, but opted for Erik ten Hag instead as the Dutchman had experience in the Champions League.Merson, however, thinks United have made a huge mistake and that they'll kick themselves for letting rivals Chelsea snap the impressive former Brighton manager up.READ MORE: Man Utd 'twice snubbed chance to appoint Graham Potter' before Chelsea came calling"Graham Potter is a manager I really like," Merson wrote in his column for SportsKeeda.

Chelsea chief Todd Boehly is said to have subtly implied to Billy Gilmour that Thomas Tuchel was facing the sacking before the Blues midfielder sealed an ill-timed transfer to Brighton and Hove Albion. Failing to find favour with Tuchel following his season-long loan at Norwich City, Gilmour completed a £9million move to Brighton on Transfer Deadline Day.

Chelsea as a free agent next summer having failed to agree terms over a new deal with the club despite months of talks. The Premier League and Champions League winning midfielder is said to have been in conversations with the club since last year but might not be happy with the length of the deal on the table.

Graham Potter might find himself in the middle of a housing dilemma after leaving Brighton for Chelsea last week. The 47-year-old was the first pick to replace Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked by Todd Boehly just days after the transfer window shut.

Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo - who scored 24 goals in all competitions last season - is reportedly still a transfer target for Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri spectacularly lost his cool, giving the middle finger during Lazio’s 2-0 victory over Verona.On paper, the result presents a comfortable afternoon concluding with three very important home points at the Stadio Olimpico. Unfortunately, the usually cool and composed Italian erupted into a heap of flailing arms and vertical middle fingers.The ‘SarriBall’ creator became incensed with a member of Verona’s coaching team during the contest.

Thomas Tuchel has spoken out for the first time since his Chelsea sacking after releasing a emotional statement on social media.The German manager, who was brutally dismissed on Wednesday following the Blues' 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, said he was "devastated" to his lose his job and that he considered Chelsea his "home".He went on to thank the players, staff and supporters for making him feel "very welcome from the start" before insisting that the club will "always have a special place in my heart".READ MORE: Chelsea players were informed of Thomas Tuchel sacking by text message"This is the one of the most difficult statements I have ever had to write - and it is one I hoped I would not need to do for many years," Tuchel began."I am devastated that my time at Chelsea has come to an end. This is a club where I felt at home, both professionally and personally.

Napoli fans are banned from attending Rangers’ Champions League clash and the fixture will now be played a day later than planned.The match will now be played on Wednesday, with UEFA citing fears of having a lack of ‘police resources’ owing to the events going ahead to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth III. The European encounter - which is set to be played at the Ibrox - will now be played on September 14 instead.In a statement released by UEFA, the body detailed why they have taken such action: “UEFA today announced that the UEFA Champions League tie between Rangers FC and SSC Napoli, originally to be played on Tuesday 13 September, has been rescheduled for Wednesday 14 September at 21.00CET.READ MORE: Todd Boehly 'wanted Chelsea to use impossible formation' leaving Thomas Tuchel baffled“This is due to the severe limitations on police resources and organisational issues related to the ongoing events surrounding the national mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and his board of directors might well imitate their Premier League rivals Manchester City by buying feeder clubs to develop young talent elsewhere. Boehly and his board of directors are considering the change in structure at Stamford Bridge - and that could start by buying stakes in continental clubs.The move might lead to the club cutting back on their extensive loan program which has seen 23 players leave on temporary deals for the 2022/23 season alone. READ MORE: Graham Potter 'already eyeing up first Chelsea signing' despite summer spending spree The Sun report that Chelsea 'see an opportunity to improve' by extending scouting and development across Europe and eventually wider.

Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has demonstrated that he "has no idea about football", according to Mainz sporting director Christian Heidel.The American billionaire brutally dismissed Tuchel on Wednesday just seven games into Chelsea's season, and only 100 days into his reign as owner and chief operator of the club.Heidel, who hired Tuchel as Mainz manager in 2009, said that Boehly will "bitterly regret" the decision and that Chelsea will struggle to fill the German's shoes.READ MORE: Todd Boehly 'wanted Chelsea to use impossible formation' leaving Thomas Tuchel baffled"The sacking is grist to the mill of those who are against investors in football. It was purely an investor’s decision," Heidel told BILD."Someone who has no idea about football probably thought that sixth place wasn’t good enough for him and said: ‘Then let’s try another coach.’ After only six games, I can’t think of any other reason."But Chelsea will bitterly regret this decision – they won’t get such a good coach again so quickly."Will Todd Boehly regret sacking Thomas Tuchel? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.The decision to sack Tuchel came as a complete shock, especially as the club had just splashed £273m on new players over the summer, many of whom were bought on the former Dortmund and PSG head coach's recommendation.Friction between Tuchel and Boehly had been building since Chelsea's pre-season tour of the US, but the axe finally swung following the Blues' dreary 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday.Tuchel's replacement Graham Potter has reportedly been promised longevity and the chance to build his own dynasty, of sorts.

Graham Potter is already eyeing up his first Chelsea signing despite the club's massive summer spending spree. The Blues were the the Premier League's biggest spenders during the summer transfer window, splashing just over £250million on eight new signings before sacking Thomas Tuchel earlier this week.

Chelsea after replacing Thomas Tuchel this week, but one member doesn't have the greatest managerial record.In May a new Head of Player Development was appointed at Chelsea, as Mark Robinson was given the role. The coach spent 18 years at AFC Wimbledon, and was instrumental behind the scenes at the club until he was finally given the managerial role in 2021.However, his moment in the hot seat didn't go too well, and he was dismissed in March after failing to win a single game in 2022.

Cristiano Ronaldo and an unprecedented, 4-4-3 formation. Unfortunately, Thomas Tuchel and association football rules put an end to both of those wild dreams.

Chelsea will reportedly have to fork out to Brighton a sum double of what they paid to Barcelona for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as they wrap up the appointment of Graham Potter. Following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday, the Blues have moved quick and wrapped up the signing of highly-rated Potter and his coaching staff.

Thomas Tuchel's strained relationship with Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly reportedly started when the pair clashed over the club's pursuit of Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United fans have all been saying the same thing after Chelsea announced the appointment of their new manager Graham Potter.

Chelsea's players found out that Thomas Tuchel had been sacked via text as the fallout from owner Todd Boehly's controversial swing of the axe continues.Tuchel met with the club's hierarchy face-to-face at Chelsea's Cobham training ground on Wednesday morning and is understood to have been surprised by the news that he'd lost his job, despite the difficult start his team had made to the season.The squad arrived a few hours later for an afternoon training session after each receiving a text message informing them of Tuchel's departure.READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel 'begged' not to be sacked by Chelsea in phone call as details emergeAccording to The Telegraph, Boehly addressed the players personally and offered to answer any questions they had about the sacking, before zooming off into central London for a meeting with Brighton boss Graham Potter - who is the odds-on favourite to replace Tuchel at the helm.The majority of Chelsea's squad posted messages of gratitude to Tuchel on social media, though some reports claim the former PSG and Dortmund head coach had lost sections of the dressing room.Although Chelsea's defeat to Dinamo Zagreb was a particularly troublesome one, it's understood that Boehly had decided to part ways with Tuchel weeks ago, with concerns about his suitability for the job stemming back to the club's pre-season tour of the US.Had Tuchel lost the Chelsea dressing room? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.Boehly and his colleagues were particularly troubled by the lack of gains the team had made since Chelsea's momentous Champions League triumph 15 months ago.Despite the apparent concerns, the American happily sanctioned £273m worth of new arrivals over the summer, many of which were

Graham Potter is on the verge of being named Chelsea's new boss after verbally agreeing a deal with owner Todd Boehly.The Brighton manager has been the Blues' number one target since Thomas Tuchel was shockingly relieved of his duties on Wednesday morning following his side's 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.Potter travelled to London yesterday to meet with Boehly and the two quickly agreed terms, with the American tycoon keen to have Potter in the hot seat in time for Saturday's trip to neighbours Fulham.READ MORE: Chelsea legend John Terry already gives thumbs up to Graham Potter appointmentIt's understood that Potter insisted on assurances over longevity during the meeting, which Boehly was happy to grant him in spite of his ruthless decision to part ways with Tuchel just weeks into his tenure as Chelsea owner.The Englishman has a £16m release clause which the Blues are happy to pay, despite spending a whopping £273m on transfers over the summer, as well as a further £15m to sack Tuchel.Chelsea are still considering Mauricio Pochettino as Plan B, especially as the Argentine would be available for free, though his loyalty to Tottenham could scupper a potential move.CHELSEA FANS - If you were in charge, who would be your pick to replace Thomas Tuchel? Let us know in the comments section below.Potter has been earning rave reviews at Brighton for the way he's turned the club from relegation-battlers into potential European challengers, guiding the Seagulls to a ninth place finish last season - the highest finish in the club's history.The 47-year-old has been touted as a future England manager and was even linked to the job earlier this year following the Three Lions' torrid performance in the Nations