Potter urges Brighton fans to accept his departure

London (Reuters)

Graham Potter, the new Chelsea coach, wrote a farewell letter to the fans of his former club Brighton & Hove Albion, asking for forgiveness and permission for his sudden departure from the club, wishing them understanding and acceptance of this step.
Potter was appointed Chelsea coach last Thursday, a little more than 24 hours after the London club sacked its former German coach Thomas Tuchel.
England’s Potter, known for his ability to improve the performance of his players, led Brighton to the best position he achieved throughout his participation in the Premier League last season, when the club from the southern port city finished ninth in the English Premier League.
“Some don’t easily accept a sudden change in football, and I may not be able to convince you to accept my departure… but at least I will take this opportunity and say thank you,” Potter said in his letter.
“I hope you will understand that at this point in my career I could not let go of this new opportunity.”
In the last game in which Potter led Brighton, his team won 5-2 against Leicester City, which pushed the team to advance to fourth place among the championship teams, three points ahead of Chelsea.
“At this time, I didn’t know it would be the end,” Potter said. But we did very well and the match saw a lot of positivity from our team.
“Events moved quickly in the past few days and leaving the club’s training center for the last time was a touching moment.”
And Potter added: “I say whoever will succeed me in the position .. Congratulations. Because you will be working with a great club and with a great team under the leadership of a great board and president.”