12 months on from taking over at an unstable club performing well below expectation and out of line with spending and wage bill indications Graham Potter is back in the mix for a similar job. It was during this time last year that the former Brighton man was at the beginning of the end of his brief period at Chelsea but his stock hasn’t dropped too much.
As a former candidate for the England national team job and next cab off the rank for a top six side Potter remains an admired manager by many with the struggles of Thomas Tuchel, Frank Lampard and so far Mauricio Pochettino only going to show just how tough of a job he had at Stamford Bridge.
The 47-year-old is yet to return to the game in a professional capacity since being sacked by Chelsea in April following a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa but his name is often near the top of shortlists created by bookmakers for vacant jobs. He was tipped to be in the mix at Leicester after Brendan Rodgers was sacked whilst also being mentioned as a potential Tottenham boss or replacement for David Moyes at West Ham.
Earlier this year it was reported that Ligue 1 side Nice were looking towards Potter as an option as well with Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly being a big fan of the talented head coach. At the time there were doubts over the appointment with Ratcliffe’s attempts to buy Manchester United and things have only sped up since.
The British businessman is set to purchase a 25% stake in the club for around £1.5billion ($1.8bn) and could get sporting control within that as Sir Dave Brailsford is tipped to come in and help change the footballing structure at Old Trafford. This led to further suggestions that Potter could be handed another big Premier League job is Erik ten Hag’s poor start continues.
Although the Dutchman is not thought to be under immediate pressure there has been continued criticism over his management of the side this season as they sit eighth in the league but with five defeats in 10 games along with two in the Champions League and now a Carabao Cup exit after falling to a 3-0 loss against Newcastle on Wednesday.
Ten Hag is now fighting to turn things around with the Red Devils but with Ineos as known admirers of Potter and the form being so bad, it is an understandable link being made. However it is not just United that hold him in high esteem.
Following these links he has emerged as a frontrunner for the Sweden national team after Janne Anderson resigned earlier this year. The European side failed to qualify for Euro 2024 with Belgium and Austria progressing from their group and Potter already has experience in the country after a seven-and-a-half-year stay at Ostersund where he made his name as an ambitious and forward thinking young manager.
Potter’s place on the list of candidates has also been confirmed by Swedish FA general secretary Andrea Mllerberg. “You can say this: The list that is on names and that I have been sent to me or that I am reading.. it is clear that he is part of that list. We’ll see what we filter down and who is interested in this role.
“You probably have to be passionate about wanting to be the national team coach, especially given that it is different from club football. You may have to be ready with certain parts.”
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by football.london