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Adam Lallana to take charge of Brighton on temporary basis after Graham Potter joins Chelsea
Exclusive: Lallana has made three appearances for Brighton as a player this season, but will step up for trip to Bournemouth
Andrew Crofts and Adam Lallana will take charge of Brighton’s preparations for Saturday’s Premier League game away at Bournemouth.
The club will fully begin the process of appointing Graham Potter’s successor after the match – with Brighton now not due to play again until October 1.
There had been speculation that first-team coach and former Brighton player Bruno would be appointed interim coach, but he has decided to join Chelsea as part of Potter’s backroom staff.
Instead Crofts, Brighton’s under-21 coach, has taken on the role of interim head coach, and will be supported by his assistant Shannon Ruth, set-play coach Nick Stanley, assistant goalkeeping coach Jack Stern and Lallana, who is in the playing squad.
The 34-year-old former England international is injured at present and is not expected to be fit until the game against his former club, Liverpool, by which time Brighton will expect to have appointed a new permanent head coach.
The club has been given breathing space in making an appointment after their home game against Crystal Palace was postponed next Saturday owing to rail strikes. There is then the international break.
“While our attention is now on appointing Graham’s successor as head coach our immediate focus, of course, is on Saturday’s game at Bournemouth and supporting Andrew Crofts as interim head coach,” Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said.
As well as Potter and Bruno, Brighton have lost assistant manager Billy Reid, first-team coach Bjorn Hamberg, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay.