A former defender at golf equipment corresponding to Birmingham, Stoke and West Brom, Potter first gained recognition as a supervisor after guiding Swedish fourth-tier facet Ostersunds FK to 3 promotions in 5 seasons. His seven-year spell additionally included a primary main trophy with the Swedish Cup and a spot within the Europa League, the place they famously beat Arsenal 2-1 on the Emirates Stadium, however misplaced the last-32 tie 4-2 on mixture.
It was an unconventional route for an English supervisor, however one which led him to Swansea in 2018 and Brighton a yr later, earlier than he joined Chelsea in 2022.
Amid hyperlinks to Tottenham and Everton jobs prior to now, Potter stated he won’t ever be regarded as a “horny” coach, saying: “It’s laborious to be an attractive title when you find yourself referred to as Potter, particularly in case your first title is Graham. Then it turns into much more tough. Add into {that a} lengthy face and a ginger beard and all the remainder of it and I simply have to stay to being a soccer coach and work with the gamers.”
Also known as a compassionate and considerate coach, Potter cemented himself as one of many recreation’s most fun prospects at Brighton – the place he was charged with turning them from a persistently relegation-threatened facet to a secure Premier League membership with a extra adventurous model of play.
Former Seagulls ahead Glenn Murray performed beneath him and stated Potter was a “thought-provoking supervisor” who “meticulously research each opponent”.
“He is aware of precisely what he desires, however he desires suggestions from the gamers. It is a collective relatively than a dictatorship,” added Murray.
“One factor that actually struck me about him, and he in all probability would not get sufficient credit score for, is that we had been a staff that had been in survival mode within the Premier League.
“He managed to alter the tradition and alter the model of play. That is not a simple factor to do whereas remaining secure.”
Amid the deal with tactically dogmatic coaches corresponding to Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim, Murray stated Potter’s model was “fluid” and he was not opposed to creating modifications to formation or techniques throughout a recreation.
“Once I performed beneath him, we’d change formations two or 3 times in a single afternoon, which is sort of a ability to have the ability to have your gamers perceive every little thing you need from them and be capable of change in-game,” he admitted.
Whereas Brighton have gone on to realize greater issues since Potter left the Amex – taking part in in Europe beneath Roberto de Zerbi after attaining a sixth-placed Premier League end – sources on the Seagulls have advised the Italian boss benefited massively from the work Potter had finished throughout his stint.
Off the pitch, Brighton sources stated Potter was a “deep thinker” and a “very clever man” who cares concerning the world. He as soon as spent an evening on the streets to boost consciousness for homelessness and has a Masters diploma in management.
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, 2025-01-08 19:47:00
