BRIGHTON have reportedly identified Mainz 05 boss Bo Svensson as a primary candidate to take over from Graham Potter.
The Seagulls have been on the lookout for a new boss since Potter departed to take up the Chelsea job.
Club chiefs had reportedly been preparing contingency plans for Potter’s departure for some time, and are now putting these plans in place.
According to The Athletic, Svensson is the latest candidate Brighton have shortlisted as their potential new manager.
Ex-Shakhtar Donetsk coach Roberto De Zerbi and Bodo/Glimt’s Kjetil Knutsen are reportedly also in discussions to take over the position.
Club owner and chairman Tony Bloom, chief executive Paul Barber and technical director David Weir are all understood to be involved in the recruitment process for their new manager.
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Svensson, 43, brought Mainz up the German league table last season, with an impressive eighth-placed finish.
And an impressive start to this season sees The 05ers in sixth spot.
Svensson also favours a similar playing style to Potter, setting up his Mainz team in a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2 shape in games this season.
Under Potter, Brighton went from a side treading water in the Premier League to one of the most enthralling teams to watch.
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Last season’s ninth-placed finish was their highest ever ranking in the Premier League, having finished no higher than 15th in the four years prior.
Smart recruitment and savvy coaching has enabled the club to cultivate an identifiable philosophy both on and off the pitch, which has seen them – like Brentford – champion data-driven analysis as a keystone to their success.
Whichever new boss is brought in will also need to bring in a new set of staff after Potter rinsed Brighton’s backroom by taking five coaches and analysts with him to Chelsea.
Potter’s first game at Chelsea will be their test tonight against RB Salzburg, with The Blues hoping to bounce back from last weeks surprise defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
