Chelsea appoint Graham Potter as former Hamilton Accies boss Billy Reid to join as assistant

Former Hamilton Accies boss Billy Reid will become the assistant manager at Chelsea after the English Premier League club appointed Graham Potter as their new manager on a five-year deal.

Reid, 59, has been assistant to Potter for almost a decade, with the pair first linking up in 2013 at Swedish side Östersunds, and they now join the London club after reaching an agreement with Brighton Hove Albion to leave their positions at Falmer Stadium.

Potter and Reid - who played for Accies and Clyde - have made a storming start to the season with the Seagulls, leading them to fourth place in the English Premier League and two points behind leaders Arsenal after six games.

But they now replace Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge after his shock sacking yesterday, following a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their opening group game of the UEFA Champions League in Croatia.

A statement from Chelsea read: "Chelsea Football Club is delighted to welcome Graham Potter as our new Head Coach, joining us on a five-year contract to bring his progressive football and innovative coaching to the Club.

"Potter is one of the most exciting coaches in the game, starting his journey in Sweden before bringing his talents to the English game over the past four seasons. The 47-year-old is educated to degree level in disciplines beyond sport and has combined these experiences to forge a collaborative, forward-thinking approach while developing attacking and winning football. "That has been in evidence during his time at Brighton & Hove Albion, where he achieved that club’s highest-ever league finish last season. Along the way, he earned praise for his winning brand of football on the south coast, while proving flexible in tactics and formations to be a