Graham Potter to skip Brighton media duties as Chelsea move nears completion

London, September 8: Graham Potter will forego his pre-match media duties with Brighton and Hove Albion on Thursday (September 8) as he closes on a move to Chelsea.

The Blues surprisingly parted company with Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday (September 7), just a day after a shock 1-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener.

It quickly became apparent Brighton boss Potter was a leading candidate to take over at Stamford Bridge, with talks said to have taken place over a switch.

Former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino had also been linked with the position, but Potter now looks like a clear front runner.

As such, local media reported Potter would not be speaking to the press on Thursday (September 8) prior to Brighton's trip to Bournemouth, another apparent pointer that he will switch to Stamford Bridge.

It is with regret that our upcoming #PL match against @CPFC has been postponed due to the planned industrial action on the rail network. ⤵️

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 7, 2022

Losing Potter will be a huge disappointment for a Brighton side who have taken 13 points from a possible 18 to sit fourth in the infant Premier League table.

The timing of Tuchel's dismissal came as a surprise, even accounting for the Blues' indifferent start to the campaign, with three wins, two losses and a draw in the league coming before their Zagreb setback.

New owner Todd Boehly bankrolled a spending spree in the transfer window, which saw the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang bolster Chelsea's squad.

Six days on from the window closing, and Champions League winner Tuchel became the second boss to lose his job in the Premier League this season, after Scott Parker departed Bournemouth.