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Topics: Chelsea, Brighton And Hove Albion, Billy Gilmour
Daniel Marland
Billy Gilmour chose to leave Chelsea for Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer transfer window, citing manager Graham Potter as a huge reason for doing so.
The midfielder was highly regarded in Chelsea's academy setup and made his debut in 2019, going on to feature 11 more times in his first campaign as a senior player.
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A lack of minutes in 2020/2021 saw him spend last season on loan with Norwich City but he failed to prevent their relegation.
Thomas Tuchel allowed Gilmour a transfer on deadline day and the Scotland international joined Brighton in a £9 million move, coming off the bench in Sunday's 5-2 win over Leicester City.
Six days later and Tuchel has been sacked by Chelsea and the Blues are heavily considering Potter as their next boss.
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Gilmour was asked about what brought him to the AMEX Stadium in an interview with the club's YouTube channel and mentioned Potter, who is regarded as one of English football's top coaches.
"For me, Brighton play great football and a style I like to play, nice passing," the 21-year-old said. "The manager is highly thought of as well, he's really good. I thought I wanted to come here. I also know a couple of players here, Levi [Colwill] and Tariq [Lamptey] so I've asked them and they've told me how good of a club it's been."
Potter has an eye for talent and has assembled a Brighton side which find themselves in the Premier League's top four.
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When asked about Gilmour, Potter replied: "Billy’s an exciting signing for us, he’s an able footballer and a great character, he has a great personality.
"He’ll fit into the group and add competition in midfield. We’re really pleased to have him here.
"As a footballer, Billy’s very technically able. He benefits from structure and the team functioning well, which is our job.
"If we do that, I think he will have a really good time here."
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Earlier this summer, Marc Cucurella left Brighton for Chelsea in a £62 million deal and Levi Colwill went the other way on a season-long loan too.
Chelsea chose to part ways with Tuchel after a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
Reports claim the German would've been relieved of his duties regardless of the result after a poor start to the season.
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As well as Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane have been linked with the vacant role.