Chelsea

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Premier League • England

Agonising details emerge of Chelsea exit player ‘did not want’, as crunch Tuchel talks preceded ironic twist

Billy Gilmour warming up with Norwich City

Billy Gilmour ‘did not want’ to leave Chelsea for Brighton, only doing so because of Graham Potter, according to a report.

After spending a season on loan at Norwich City, Gilmour returned to the Chelsea fold this summer. However, he did not occupy a large place in the plans of Thomas Tuchel. Ultimately, he was sold to Brighton towards the transfer deadline.

Of course, in an ironic twist of fate, Tuchel has now left Chelsea and has been replaced by Potter, who was brought in from Brighton.

The Sun have now explained the delicate situation Gilmour finds himself in at his new club. According to the newspaper, the Scotland international ‘did not want’ to leave Chelsea this summer.

Indeed, a few months ago, he had signed a contract extension with the club until 2024. No appearances followed under his new terms.

Hence, he was offloaded to Brighton in the final few hours of the transfer market. Per The Sun, though, one of the main factors behind his decision was the presence of Potter in the Amex Stadium dugout.

Of course, Potter has now vacated that role to end up at Gilmour’s former club, Chelsea. As the report explains, the midfielder ‘will be baffled’.

It was a conversation with Tuchel that prompted Gilmour’s exit from Chelsea, where he was once the subject of high hopes.

And in turn, it was Potter’s style of play that convinced him to pick Brighton as his next destination. He is under contract with Albion until 2026. Hence, he now faces an anxious wait to find out who he will be playing under next.

Potter only gave him one minute of action as a substitute in a recent Premier League win over Leicester City before his departure. Obviously, more gametime should follow. But it will be up to a new tactician to decide how much responsibility to give the 21-year-old.

Billy Gilmour may have ended Chelsea dream for good

As things stand, there are no indications that Potter might want Gilmour back at Chelsea one day.

His exit from the club had to be a permanent sale, due to Brighton already having Levi Colwill on loan from the west London outfit. Therefore, returning to Chelsea would not be an easy route for Gilmour.

Although Potter spoke enthusiastically about the player when signing him for Brighton – praising his ‘strength of character’ and ‘potential’ – it is unclear if he would have considered him had they been at Chelsea together.

Besides, Potter may prefer other players now he has taken over on the touchline of a bigger club. Already, the options at his disposal have improved; he can call upon Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Denis Zakaria, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in his midfield.

Therefore, Potter has several talented players to build around. Gilmour, in contrast, must focus on competing for his place under whoever Potter’s replacement at Brighton will be.

In that regard, there are already a few names who have emerged into contention. If Brighton go for someone with a similar philosophy to Potter, he may yet have a chance there.

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