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      Graham Potter CANCELS today’s press conference as Brighton manager set for further talks with Chelsea to replace Tuchel

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      GRAHAM POTTER has CANCELLED his Brighton press conference that was scheduled for today.The 47-year-old is currently in talks with Chelsea about taking over from the sacked Thomas Tuchel.
      Graham Potter will not hold a Brighton press conference todayCredit: Getty
      Potter had been due to address the media today ahead of Brighton’s trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.
      But the scheduled press conference will no longer be going ahead, according to The Athletic.
      Instead Potter is expected to continue discussions with Chelsea after positive discussions yesterday.
      SunSport exclusively revealed yesterday that the Blues want Potter in the dugout in time for Saturday’s derby clash against Fulham.
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      Potter is owner Todd Boehly’s No1 choice to replace Tuchel, and if a deal is struck today he will be in charge for the short trip to Craven Cottage.
      The former Swansea manager was on the south coast yesterday for a club photoshoot and training.
      But after being informed of Chelsea’s interest he was quickly whisked to London to meet with club chiefs.
      Brighton gave Potter the green light to travel to London when it was made clear that Chelsea were willing to fork out for his services.
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      The Blues are prepared to pay a minimum of £20million to prise Potter away from the Seagulls.
      Boehly swung the axe and sacked Tuchel after Tuesday night’s shock 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
      However, the decision to relieve Tuchel of his duties had been coming for some time.
      Boehly is eager to change the culture at Chelsea and move away from the hire and fire approach at Stamford Bridge.
      The American businessman wants to appoint a long-term manager who will lead the club forward for a number of years. More

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      Sacking Thomas Tuchel doesn’t scream ‘same old Chelsea’ as brave Todd Boehly opts for modest, low-profile Graham Potter

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      WHEN Thomas Tuchel was brutally sacked on Wednesday, the temptation was to shrug your shoulders and say: “New owner, same old Chelsea”.After all Todd Boehly, the frontman for the Blues’ new ownership, had just sanctioned a record £259.1MILLION summer transfer spend, only to axe a popular manager six days after the window shut.
      Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea on Wednesday morningCredit: Getty
      Potter looks set to be appointed the new Chelsea bossCredit: Getty
      But while that sacking came straight out of the Roman Abramovich playbook, Boehly’s decisive approach for Brighton boss Graham Potter was a major departure.
      Potter is a modest, low-profile, over-achieving British boss, quite unlike any manager appointed by Chelsea over the previous 20 years — or by any of the Premier League’s “Big Six” in the best part of a decade.
      So his imminent appointment is an intriguing one.
      Of course, we still had to stifle giggles at reports of Chelsea selling Potter the idea of a “long-term project”.
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      Especially given that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a 33-year-old loose cannon, had just been bought from Barcelona on the say-so of his old Borussia Dortmund boss Tuchel — only to see him sacked after 59 minutes of football for his new club.
      Boehly is a very different owner to Abramovich — a hands-on, front-of-house, limelight-hogger.
      He is also a Hollywood type, in thrall to celebrity.
      We know that the American hoped to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, when the ageing Galactico wanted out of Manchester United this summer, but was given short shrift by Tuchel.
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      So perhaps the idea of a “long-term project”, is just the latest short-lived idea to have occurred to Boehly.
      There was much amusement at the briefings, in the immediate aftermath of Tuchel’s exit, that Chelsea had drawn up a three-man shortlist, which included Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane.
      This seemed to sum up Boehly’s scattergun approach to running the club: “So, the sort of manager we want is a former Football League left-back, who’s worked his way up through the Swedish lower leagues and done brilliantly on a low budget at Brighton.
      “Either that or one of the greatest footballers the world has ever seen, who’s won three European Cups but never managed anyone other than Real Madrid. So, yeah, that’s the kind of profile we’ve narrowed it down to.”
      Yet Potter was clearly the No 1 choice on that shortlist.
      He has enjoyed sustained success in sensible, stable environments at Swedish club Ostersunds and at Brighton, either side of a single season with Swansea City.
      But he is now going to the most wildly unstable club on the planet.
      A brief summary of Chelsea Football Club since 2010 says it all — from winning the Double, to meltdown, to winning the Champions League, to meltdown, to winning the Premier League, to complete and utter meltdown, to winning the Premier League, to meltdown… 
      From transfer embargo, to becoming European and world champions, to having an owner sanctioned for links to a land war in Europe, to a record summer transfer spend, to sacking the manager who chose those players.
      So it is fair to say that Potter is heading into unfamiliar territory and it’s no surprise that when he met Chelsea on Wednesday afternoon, it was a case of Boehly having to sell the job to the Seagulls boss, rather than vice versa.
      In the past decade, only one Englishman has been named as a “Big Six” boss — Frank Lampard.
      But he was a very different kind of appointment to Potter — a club legend installed to reconnect the club with its roots and promote a talented group of youth players during a transfer embargo.
      Potter is being appointed entirely on merit and deserves the step up.
      Yet this appointment is high-risk for club and manager, not least because of the hefty compensation fee Chelsea will pay Brighton, on top of the vast pay-off for Tuchel and his staff.
      Chelsea owner Boehly, right, looks set to replace Tuchel with PotterCredit: PA
      At the Seagulls, Potter enjoyed the virtues of patience and modest expectations.
      He was not an immediate success and, throughout his time at the Amex, was able to ride out some poor runs of form, especially at home, where they won just once in 14 matches between September and May last season.
      The 47-year-old Brummie is entering a shark pool — where player power remains a greater factor than at any of England’s other major clubs and where owners, new to football, appear to be fumbling in the dark.
      Potter does not have the charisma or fame to demand instant respect.
      He will have to win over Chelsea’s players with the quality of his coaching and man-management.
      It will be fascinating to see how he handles some big egos, especially Aubameyang who was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy and bombed out by Mikel Arteta.
      Chelsea have shelled out £160m on the defensive trio of Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, from Potter’s Brighton.
      Yet they haven’t kept a clean sheet in six matches and conceded ten goals.
      Potter must revive fortunes after a poor start in both the Premier League and the Champions League after Tuchel presided over successive away defeats at Southampton, Leeds and Dinamo Zagreb.
      Yet however humble and sensible Potter is, he remains ambitious.
      Had he turned down the chance to manage Chelsea, other major clubs may have shied away.
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      And Boehly’s Blues, for all the early chaos, does not feel like the “same old Chelsea” of the Abramovich era.
      The decision to go for Potter suggests it. And if Boehly sticks with his idea of a “long-term project”, then we will know as much. More

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      Tuchel naive at best, stupid at worst, for staying loyal to Chelsea as he’s sacked two weeks after contract talks

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      THOMAS TUCHEL was talking new contracts with Chelsea just two weeks ago.Now he is looking for a new job.
      Tuchel was sacked on Wednesday following defeat to Dinamo ZagrebCredit: Getty
      Back then he confirmed SunSport’s exclusive story that the club wanted him to commit to a new deal with a few simple words, then moved on to stress that the most important thing was the team.
      When rudderless Manchester United made it plain they quite fancied Tuchel as their next manager towards the end of last season, the German was outspoken in his commitment to his employers.
      He would not jump ship and was happy to stay loyal to the club that gave him a chance to manage in the Premier League and raise his profile beyond all previous measure.
      On reflection, the uber-intellectual coach dubbed ‘The Professor’ looks naive at best, stupid at worst.
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      That is because his sacking confirms there is no place for sentiment at Stamford Bridge and that loyalty will ultimately do for you.
      Tuchel was not expecting to get the chop so few hours after his team’s collapse in Croatia.
      He acknowledged relations with chairman Todd Boehly had been on the slide for some time.
      But he did not realise that an opening group game 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb was the moment his boss had been waiting for.
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      And he took the punch right between the eyes at the training ground just before 10am having only got back to England at around 4am.
      He admitted to not seeing Tuesday’s hopeless performance from his players coming.
      He should have seen what was coming next though.
      All summer, there has been a steadily brewing discord between Tuchel and the new board of directors he reported to — but in particular Boehly.
      The German is likely to be replaced by Brighton’s Graham PotterCredit: Alamy
      Disagreement over Boehly’s desire to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United went Tuchel’s way and the plan was dropped.
      That disagreement highlights the different philosophies of the two men about players.
      Boehly clearly fancies razzmatazz and showbiz signings when it comes to players.
      He loved being pictured with new arrivals and hanging around and shooting the breeze with them at the training ground.
      Tuchel disagreed with Boehly’s desire to sign RonaldoCredit: Alamy
      Tuchel’s preference was for a new centre-half.
      He got two in the end but despite a world record investment of £259.1million in the summer, Chelsea’s head coach was still not happy.
      To the extent that after the recent embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Southampton, a message was sent to a Chelsea director containing extremely colourful language about the state of the squad.
      The dithering over a deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was another bone of contention.
      There is a feeling Tuchel had a blind spot for AubameyangCredit: Rex
      At 33, Chelsea did not fancy handing out a three-year deal to a player many see as way past his prime. Understandably so.
      There is a feeling that Tuchel has a blind spot for Aubameyang. That he is starstruck by the wayward striker’s glittering personality.
      And that, having managed him seven years ago, he could bring back the 25-year-old Aubameyang.
      Chelsea struck a compromise with Aubameyang.
      The striker signed on a two-year deal with an option for a thirdCredit: Getty
      A two-year contract with the option of a third to keep him on his toes.
      He only made his Blues debut on Tuesday — seven games into the season and almost two months since striker Romelu Lukaku went back to Inter Milan.
      Managerial sackings at Chelsea are as much a part of daily life as groin strains.
      The joke is that the club uses non-drying paint to mark out the coach’s car park space at the training ground.
      Chelsea are expected to appoint a manager who’ll be in charge for the long-term futureCredit: EPA
      In Tuchel’s case the story is a fascinating one given the way the geeky-looking, 6ft 5in beanpole, managed to grow even more in stature while steering his club through the worst moments in their 117-year history.
      When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Chelsea were unwillingly dragged into a war through Roman Abramovich’s links to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
      Government sanctions, a stranglehold on finances, an emergency takeover ordered by No 10. The very existence of one of our top clubs called into question.
      While the hierarchy took the chance to cower in a bunker and hide from the public, Tuchel took on the role of leading statesman.
      Boehly and Co spent upwards of £250m in the transfer windowCredit: Getty
      Cannot afford a plane to fly to Lille? “I’ll drive the bus,” he said.
      He was also honest in admitting most rival clubs would be delighted to see his team failing.
      There followed a series of Churchillian addresses during the height of the crisis and during which he landed the one trophy that had up to then eluded Chelsea — the Club World Cup.
      This followed victory in the European Super Cup, a few months after winning the Champions League.
      Tuchel leaves Chelsea with three trophies under his beltCredit: Getty
      There is no doubt that Chelsea have fallen away in recent times and the team was an utter shambles against Zagreb.
      Master tactician Tuchel was unable to plot a course past a side with one twelfth the budget of his.
      Formations changed, baffling substitutions made, sulky fringe players dragged off the bench to try to save his neck and it failed.
      Boehly and his cohort from US investors Clearlake Capital promised many things when their £4.25bn takeover was announced on May 22.
      The German guided Chelsea to their second-ever Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
      They were careful not to pledge public loyalty to the head coach.
      Even so, you might have expected there to a bit of credit in the bank from the way Tuchel kept the ship afloat during stormy waters.
      Had he signed that new two-year deal, Tuchel would have collected a substantial pay rise.
      He will now walk away with a pay-off worth nearly £13m.
      Read More on The Sun
      Either way, he will not go short and the odds are that he will be back in management again soon.
      And even the Professor may have learned a lesson about public loyalty. More

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      Axed Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel walks away with £13m pay-off after ‘marriage split changed relationship with players’

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      AXED Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel left with a £13million pay-off yesterday after losing his grip on players who gossiped about his private life.Tuchel, 49, was sacked after his side’s 1-0 defeat in their Champions League opener at Dinamo Zagreb.
      Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel nets a £13million ‘golden goodbye’, pictured with new lover: Natalie Max, 35Credit: BackGrid
      The axed boss, 49, leaves Chelsea lying sixth in the Premier League after his side’s 1-0 defeat in their opener at Dinamo Zagreb, pictured: with ex-wife SissyCredit: Getty
      Sourced reveal ‘perceptions of him changed’ after his marriage breakdownCredit: AP
      His crumbling relationship with the club’s supremo Todd Boehly was said to also be at the heart of the end of his careerCredit: Getty
      It emerged that the German — who had led Chelsea to three trophies in 20 months, including the Champions League title — would have been fired by The Blues’ new American owners regardless of Tuesday’s result.
      His crumbling relationship with the club’s superstars and supremo Todd Boehly was said to be at the heart of his demise.
      Football sources said “perceptions of him changed” after he split in May from Sissi, his wife of 13 years, and fell for Brazilian mum of two Natalie Max, 35.
      Tuchel’s love life was said to be often “on the lips” of his multi-millionaire players.
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      He took Natalie to Sardinia in July, just days after his divorce was granted. They were snapped on a sunset yacht trip and stayed at a £20,000-a-night private villa.
      One source said: “He’d stopped getting through. It probably didn’t help that some players had been talking about his private life.
      “It played into how the perception of him transformed.
      “He was no longer the genius.
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      “He was a difficult character, whose demands weren’t always clear.
      “A number of players bristled that he didn’t really trust them.
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      “It all just fed into this fractious start to the season.”
      Tuchel — on an estimated £7million a year — nets a £13million “golden goodbye” as he leaves big-spenders Chelsea lying sixth in the Premier League. More

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      Man Utd legend Gary Neville mockingly comes up with new name for Todd Boehly after Chelsea owner axes Thomas Tuchel

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      GARY NEVILLE has mocked Chelsea owner Todd Boehly’s decision to sack Thomas Tuchel by comparing him to ex-Manchester United chief Ed Woodward again.The Blues shocked the football world today by sacking the German coach.
      Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has been criticised for sacking Thomas TuchelCredit: Rex
      Gary Neville has mocked the American again for a third timeCredit: Getty
      Chelsea have suffered a difficult start to the campaign, despite a record outlay in the summer transfer window.
      And last night’s shock Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb proved to be Tuchel’s final game in charge.
      American Boehly, whose takeover of the club was only completed 100 days ago, decided to act after just seven games of the season.
      United legend Neville reacted to the surprise news by tweeting: “Todd Woodward.”
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      Neville first mocked the Chelsea supermo’s approach to the transfer market last month by comparing him to the unpopular ex-United vice-chairman Woodward.
      He then retweeted several posts that slammed Boehly’s leadership of the Blues.
      Tuchel led Chelsea to Champions League glory, the Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup since taking charge in January 2021 as well as suffering defeats in both domestic cups via penalty shoot-outs last term.
      They spent almost £300m on new players but have won just three games this term and sit sixth in the Premier League.
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      Neville also criticised Boehly in a reply to former England team-mate John Terry after last month’s defeat at Southampton.
      The Sky Sports pundit wrote: “Your man Todd Woodward needs to stop wandering round like a kid in a sweet shop.”
      A Chelsea supporter then hit back by claiming that not every American is like United’s owners the Glazer family.
      Neville replied: “It’s just scattergun and unsustainable. I doubt this approach will go well.”
      Neville then compared Chelsea’s transfer policy under Boehly to United’s under Woodward on the Overlap, saying: “Chelsea have got that sort of, Manchester United under the Glazers, Ed Woodward, ‘I’m taking over, I’m the man now, I’m going to go out and basically buy the players’ and then they’re linked with every player that Barcelona want, every player that City want, every player that United want.
      “They’re almost like bouncing around because it feels like he [Todd Boehly] has to do something.
      Read More on The Sun
      “I’m hearing his name too much. It feels like, it’s not to be disrespectful, you know he’s a prominent guy, he’s just bought the club and everything.
      “He’s fronted a fund that’s paid two and a half billion quid, but to get rid of all that football operation that’s been unbelievable for that many years and come in and do it yourself, it does feel like Ed Woodward that to me. We’ll see it develop.”
      However, some might think Neville’s reaction is a bit rich when his League Two Salford City have had four managers in the last two years. More

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      Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang plays just 59 MINUTES under Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea manager sacked days after dream reunion

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      PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG played just 59 minutes under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea before the German was brutally sacked.Tuchel played a big role in luring Aubameyang to Stamford Bridge this summer.
      Aubameyang played just 59 minutes under Tuchel at ChelseaCredit: Rex
      The striker expressed his excitement to work with the German again when he signedCredit: Rex
      Having worked with the striker, 33, at Borussia Dortmund, he was able to convince Aubameyang to complete a deadline day return to the Premier League.
      He said on Tuchel after signing for Chelsea: “It will be an honour and a joy again [to play with Tuchel], we had some good times in Dortmund together so I am really happy to play for him again.
      “We will achieve some big things, I am sure of this and I will try to help the team.”
      Masked up Aubameyang made his Chelsea debut on Tuesday night in the Blues’ Champions League group stage opener against Dinamo Zagreb.

      It comes as:

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      However, Aubameyang played just 59 minutes and saw a goal be chalked off for offside in the shock 1-0 defeat to the Croatian champions.
      And the loss was the final nail in Tuchel’s coffin, with new owner Todd Boehly brutally swinging the axe.
      Tuesday’s loss wasn’t the only reason as to why Chelsea could have sacked Tuchel.
      The Blues got off to a poor start in the Premier League, losing two of their six games played.
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      They also just about scraped by against London rivals West Ham on Saturday – only thanks to a dodgy referee/VAR decision.
      Chelsea spent £259million in the summer transfer window with Boehly heavily backing Tuchel – leaving many questioning the sacking.
      A Chelsea statement read: “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.
      “Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here. 
      “As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the Club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition. 
      “Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach.
      “There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”
      Brighton boss Graham Potter appears to be the early frontrunner for the job.
      Read More on The Sun
      Potter is set to travel to London on Wednesday to speak to Chelsea about their vacant head coach position.
      SunSport understands they want a new gaffer in place before Saturday’s West London derby against Fulham – and are VERY confident that will be 47-year-old Potter. More

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      Tuchel’s love life ‘was hot topic in Chelsea dressing room with stars gossiping about divorce and younger girlfriend’

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      THOMAS TUCHEL’S love live is said to have been centre of gossip in the Chelsea dressing room.The German has been shockingly sacked as Blues boss just 100 games and two seasons into his reign.
      Thomas Tuchel with his former wife SissiCredit: Getty
      Natalie Max pictured on holiday with Thomas TuchelCredit: BackGrid
      Since the stunning announcement, revelations about Tuchel’s final months in charge at Stamford Bridge have emerged.
      According to The Independent, even the manager’s divorce from wife Sissi and new relationship with Natalie Max were discussed among Chelsea stars.
      And it is even claimed some players changed their perception of Tuchel around the time he split with Sissi after 13 years of marriage and later dated Natalie.
      Tuchel, 49, and Sissi, 46, announced their marriage was over in April and parted officially in May after filing for divorce.
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      PSG’s former boss, who has two daughters with Sissi, in July was spotted with Brazilian Natalie, 35, as the pair holidayed in Sardinia.
      The London-based mum-of-two runs her own business and is believed to have grown close with Tuchel following restaurant dates.
      It has now been claimed that the Champions League-winning manager’s private life became a contributing factor among football-related issues to his dismissal as players began to view him in a different light.
      SunSport can also reveal throughout the summer the distance between Tuchel and the new owners had been steadily growing.
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      Sources at Chelsea claim he was growing increasingly fed up and believed that the new owners wanted to control every aspect of his job.
      Behind the scenes on the club’s US tour in the summer, Tuchel was rumoured to be unhappy.
      His discussions over transfers with Boehly were strained.
      There was a definite split over the plan by American Boehly to try to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United – a move Tuchel did not support.
      The German won the day on that occasion and only last week Tuchel stated that he had been fully involved and in agreement over the club’s world record £270million spending spree in the close season.
      However, behind the scenes tension has been brewing for some time and it was reflected in results.
      Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard in January 2021 and went on to win the Champions League, leaves off the back of a 1-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb.
      Thomas Tuchel with his ex-wife and two daughtersCredit: Getty More

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      Wolves appeal for Diego Costa work permit ACCEPTED with ex-Chelsea star flying to England tonight ahead of free transfer

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      WOLVES have reportedly had their work permit appeal for Diego Costa accepted.The former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid striker is now due to fly to England tonight to finalise his switch to Molineux.
      File photo dated 18-02-2020 of Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa. Wolves have appealed against the decision to reject Diego Costa’s work permit application. Issue date: Tuesday September 6, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Wolves. Photo credit should read Nick Potts/PA Wire.Credit: PA
      His medical has already been arranged and now he looks set to pen a one-year contract to seal his return to the Premier League.
      Spanish international Costa only missed out on the work permit by two points.
      The 33-year-old had to gain 15 points on the Home Office’s points-based system to be given their blessing to play in the UK – but Costa fell just short with 13.
      The main objection to the Brazilian-born forward’s bid to sign for Wolves centred around his lack of recent match-time at club level and recent lack of international appearances for Spain.
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      Costa only made 19 appearances for his previous club Atletico Mineiro and hasn’t played competitively since December, prior to terminating his contract with the Brazilian club in January.
      However the fact his initial application was rejected by such a narrow margin encouraged Wolves to push ahead with an appeal.
      Now Fabrizio Romano has offered this update on Twitter: “Wolves appeal for Diego Costa’s work permit/appeal has been accepted.
      “Diego will fly to England later tonight to discuss final details of the free transfer. Medical tests have been scheduled and it will be a key step to proceed — one year contract ready.”
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      The Molineux club focused their appeal on the exceptional career Costa enjoyed and his pedigree as an elite athlete, which saw him perform at the highest level for club and country for over a decade.
      Costa, who turns 34 next month, failed to meet the FA’s required threshold and failed to receive their endorsement but Wolves were always hopeful that they could bridge the gap as they supplied further evidence of the player’s unique situation.
      They pointed out that Spain are currently ranked 6th in the world by Fifa and unlikely to recall Costa once he returned to the nation of his birth.
      The Stamford Bridge legend is keen to answer Wolves SOS for a striker after new £15million signing Sasa Kalajdzic suffered an ACL injury on his debut against Southampton, which will sideline him for most of the season. More