Brighton have taken the biggest gamble of Tony Bloom’s ownership by sacking a manager who kept a patchy squad in the Premier League two seasons running. For Swansea’s Graham Potter - the club's No 1 target - recruitment would need to improve sharply for Chris Hughton’s dismissal to have a hope of success. Not once in 2018-19 were Brighton in the Premier League relegation zone. In December they reached 10th place with a win over Crystal Palace. But an alarming slide of three wins in 23 dropped them to two points above the relegation zone. Brighton’s owner, Bloom, who fired Hughton at the training ground the morning after Manchester City’s title-securing 4-1 win, calculated that it was better to head off the possibility of that slump continuing than deal with the consequences next autumn. This proactive approach removes Brighton’s best manager of the modern era. Hughton raised them from 17th in the Championship to 15th in the club’s first season in the top tier since 1983, and then kept them up again after a summer of underwhelming buys up front. Florin Andone, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jurgen Locadia have added little to Hughton’s strong defensive block of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy.<doc-sep>Brighton sack Hughton after narrow escape from Premier League relegation The 60-year-old has left the Amex after five seasons at the helm, having only just managed to consolidate a top flight position Brighton have sacked manager Chris Hughton following a final day defeat to Manchester City. The Irish coach managed to guide the Seagulls to Premier League safety once again, but the club has decided to make a change after a disappointing overall campaign. Brighton ended their season with a 4-1 defeat at home to champions Man City, with Hughton's departure has been confirmed on Monday morning . Article continues below Assistant manager Paul Trollope and first-team coach Paul Nevin have also left the Amex Stadium, with a summer of major change at the club now afoot. Brighton released an official statement from chairman Tony Bloom on their website, which reads : "Chris has done an excellent job over the past four and a half years. First stabilising our club, reaching the play-offs in his first full season, securing our first ever promotion to the Premier League, and retaining our status in two successive seasons. “Undoubtedly, this has been one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make as chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, but ultimately one I have made due to how we struggled in the second half of the season. “Our run of three wins from 23 Premier League matches put our status at significant risk. It is with that in mind, and the performances during that period, that I now feel it’s the right time for a change. “Chris will always be very fondly remembered by Albion staff and fans as one of our club’s finest and most-respected managers. “I would like to wish Chris, Paul and Paul – who have all worked extremely hard throughout their time here – every success for the future, and thank them on behalf of everyone at the club. “They will always be welcome at the Amex, and will be remembered here with great affection.” Brighton's search for Hughton's successor is already underway and the club has declined to add any further comment. The veteran head coach led the Seagulls to automatic promotion from the Championship in 2017 and guided the club to 15th in the Premier League the following year. Despite a promising first half of the 2018-19 campaign, Brighton only won two league matches in 2019, slipping into a basement battle with Cardiff City. Hughton's side finished 17th in the final standings, two points ahead of the Bluebirds, but four worse off than the previous season.<doc-sep>
GLYN KIRK/Getty Images Chris Hughton has been sacked as manager of Brighton & Hove Albion after leading them to a 17th-place finish in the 2018-19 Premier League. The club announced his departure on Monday after the Seagulls closed the campaign with a 4-1 home defeat to champions Manchester City: In a club statement, Brighton chairman Tony Bloom cited the side's poor form in the second half of the season that saw them dragged into a relegation battle as the key reason for Hughton's exit. After Brighton drew 2-2 at West Ham United on January 2, they moved on to 26 points after 21 matches, 10 points clear of the relegation zone. They picked up just 10 more points from their final 17 league matches, taking victory in only two more games and enduring a winless run of nine on the bounce to end the season. Brighton's safety was secured on the penultimate weekend of the campaign when Cardiff City lost to Crystal Palace, but the Seagulls finished just two points above the drop zone and with four fewer than last term, when they finished 15th. Despite a poor run of results to close the season, Hughton can arguably feel hard done by to lose the job he has held since December 2014: Video Play Button Videos you might like The 60-year-old departs the club with his reputation intact, though: It will be no surprise if he is back managing in the Premier League again next season as he has shown he has the coaching acumen to maintain a club's top-flight status.