Graham Potter appointed new Brighton manager after leaving Swansea

Brighton have confirmed the appointment of Graham Potter as new head coach.

The Seagulls parted ways with Chris Hughton last week after he guided them to safety in the Premier League, finishing 17th in the top-flight - two points above third-bottom Cardiff.

Potter was immediately touted as a potential replacement for Hughton, despite only taking over at Swansea last July on a three-year deal.

The 43-year-old impressed during an eight-year spell in charge of Swedish side Ostersund, who he guided to second and third division titles and then to the last 32 of the Europa League in 2017-18.

Swansea were said to have rejected Brighton's initial attempts to land the former Southampton, West Brom and Stoke full-back and reportedly offered him a new contract to fight off interest after leading them to a 10th place finish in the second tier.

And his new chairman Bloom is excited to work with one of the country's most promising managers, saying: "We are delighted to have secured the services of one of the brightest young English coaches. Graham Potter has an excellent record of developing teams with an attractive playing style, fierce determination and a strong collective spirit. 

"We are excited about our third successive season in the Premier League and we now wish to build on the solid foundations laid by Chris Hughton. We believe that Graham is an excellent fit for our club and we are very much looking forward to working with him."

Meanwhile, Swansea chairman Trevor Birch said the Championship team are disappointed to see him leave so soon. 

"We received a request from Brighton last week to speak to Graham over the vacant managerial position at the club," he said.

"We had absolutely no desire to lose the services of Graham after the excellent work he had done over the course of his debut season. We therefore declined Brighton’s initial request to speak to him.