Inside Chelsea's decision to reject Pochettino and appoint Potter as Tuchel successor amid Amorim interest

Chelsea are closing in on the appointment of Graham Potter to replace Thomas Tuchel as head coach ahead of the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Ruben Amorim, with the reasons why revealed.

It has been reported that Potter will be named as the next head coach of Chelsea, with the 47-year-old on his way to sign his contract at Stamford Bridge.

The head coach has said his farewells at Brighton, paving the way for him to join Chelsea as the Seagulls will enter the market for a new manager.

Thomas Tuchel was not pleased with the performance against Dinamo Zagreb before his dismissal. (Alamy)

Tuchel was dismissed on Wednesday morning, with a statement released by the club revealing that the decision was made after his 100th match for the Blues.

It wrote: “Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with Head Coach Thomas Tuchel.

“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."

The search for a new head coach saw Potter become the clear favourite, with Brighton giving Chelsea permission to speak to their boss.

A release clause, believed to be in the region of £16 million, will be paid as Chelsea appoint their new head coach.

However, Potter was not the only name on the shortlist for Chelsea as former Tottenham Hotspur boss Pochettino was heavily linked with the move also.

As reported by The Times, Chelsea were considering speaking to Pochettino but had concerns.

While the Blues admired his work, there were some concerns about his ability to deliver at the highest level.

These stemmed from his loss in the 2019 Champions League final, the report confirmed, while Potter convinced Chelsea due to his record at Swedish side Ostersunds and Brighton.

Gramah Potter is set to be named Chelsea's new head coach. (Alamy)

Furthermore, reports on Thursday morning revealed that Chelsea had also considered Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim.

As stated by Nizaar Kinsella, Amorim was considered for the role due to his achievements in Portugal.

However, the former Braga boss was behind Potter in the race as no formal talks were held with Sporting Lisbon over his future.

There were informal talks with the young manager, who was previously wanted by Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Potter has won the race to be named as the new Chelsea head coach and will likely be in the dugout as they face Fulham on Saturday.