The 47-year-old comes in as the new coach following the sudden axing of Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning.

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss, Mauricio Pochettino, and Real Madrid great, Zinedine Zidane, were linked with the vacant job at Stamford Bridge.

In reaction to his appointment as the new manager, Potter, thanked the club as well as Brighton & Hove Albion for allowing him to take the next step in his career.

“I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea FC, this fantastic football club.

“I am very excited to partner with Chelsea’s new ownership group and look forward to meeting and working with the exciting group of players and to develop a team and culture that our amazing fans can be proud of.

“I would also like to place my sincere thanks to Brighton & Hove Albion for allowing me this opportunity and in particular Tony Bloom and all the players, staff and supporters for their continued support during my time at the club.”

Potter's first task will be to claim points against Fulham at Craven Cottage with this game kicking off at 13:30 on Saturday afternoon. This match as well as the other Premiership game for the weekend could be suspended in the wake of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. An announcement by the FA could be expected on Friday.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport