Chelsea fans drool over £7m Potter signing who could be ‘new De Bruyne’

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 May 2023 17:48 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea have not had a successful season in the transfer market, with Todd Boehly’s spend of €600 million failing to reap the returns that the club would have wished.

The Blues sit in the lower half of the Premier League table and have had little to get excited about this season, save a run to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Chelsea have also gone through two permanent managers this term and are waiting to name Mauricio Pochettino as their next man in charge. Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September and Graham Potter followed barely six months later.

EXCLUSIVE: Potter in SHOCK Man Utd link thanks to Ratcliffe takeover

It is ironic, then, that it is a Potter signing that Chelsea fans have been getting excited about in recent weeks. Unfortunately for the Blues, he no longer plays for them.

The sale of Billy Gilmour to Brighton in the summer was a controversial decision, and while the Scotland international has found playing time hard to come by until recently at the Seagulls, his trajectory could have been very different if Potter had not left the AmEx Stadium so early in the season.

Official: Pochettino’s next job will NOT be Chelsea

Since breaking into the Brighton starting XI, Gilmour has shone and continued that trend with a fine assist against Newcastle on Thursday.

Although the south coast side slumped to a 4-1 defeat at St James’ Park, the former Chelsea midfielder’s assist for Deniz Undav was a moment that lit up the game from Albion’s perspective.

And it has left Blues fans lamenting the sale of the 21-year-old, with some fearing that he could develop into the next Kevin De Bruyne or Mohamed Salah, who both excelled after leaving Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fans react to Gilmour masterclass

Brighton are back in Premier League action against Southampton on Sunday while Chelsea travel to Manchester City on the same day.