BRIGHTON gave Chelsea permission to speak to Graham Potter about the vacant manager’s job at Stamford Bridge after the sacking of Thomas Tuchel, it was reported this afternoon. 

Seagulls boss Potter, 47, has a hefty compensation clause in his Falmer Stadium deal, but Chelsea’s new owners are understood to be relaxed about meeting a buyout.

Chelsea’s new chiefs sacked charismatic manager Tuchel this morning, just hours after the Blues’ chastening 1-0 Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.

Owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were understood to have already made the decision to unseat Tuchel ahead of that loss in Croatia, however.

Chelsea’s new chiefs have been at the Stamford Bridge helm for 100 days since their £4.25 billion purchase from Roman Abramovich.

The US owners are understood to have felt they could not wait any longer to take action, fearing the Blues losing further ground on Premier League powers Manchester City and Liverpool.

Chelsea’s new board is thought to have analysed Tuchel’s 100 games in charge, identifying a worrying trend of 24 goals conceded in the first 50 matches and 53 in the second 50.

The Chelsea owners are understood not to have lined up a replacement, in order to complete the process by the book.

Boehly and Eghbali will now approach and interview a small number of candidates, with Brighton’s Potter chief among a tight group of names.

Former Tottenham and Paris St Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino and ex-Real Madrid chief Zinedine Zidane are also thought to be in consideration.

“Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with head coach Thomas Tuchel,” read a Blues statement.

“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club.

“Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.

“Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach.

“There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”

Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as Chelsea boss in January 2021, immediately adding steel and focus to the Blues.

The likeable and respected German boss steered Chelsea to their second Champions League triumph just four months later, with a stunning 1-0 win over Manchester City in Porto.

The Blues’s poise and threat dwindled slowly at the tail end of last season though, with the signing of Romelu Lukaku disappointing fans, which ended with him eventually heading back to Inter Milan on loan for this term.

Chelsea have since slipped to three defeats in seven matches at the start of the new campaign, with Tuchel’s tactics changeable and his demeanour increasingly tetchy.

Tuchel’s relationship with Chelsea’s players was understood to have become increasingly strained, while communication with the Blues’ new owners had proved troublesome across another turbulent summer.