A former defender at clubs such as Birmingham, Stoke and West Brom, Potter first gained recognition as a manager after guiding Swedish fourth-tier side Ostersunds FK to three promotions in five seasons. His seven-year spell also included a first major trophy with the Swedish Cup and a spot in the Europa League, where they famously beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, but lost the last-32 tie 4-2 on aggregate.
It was an unconventional route for an English manager, but one which led him to Swansea in 2018 and Brighton a year later, before he joined Chelsea in 2022.
Amid links to Tottenham and Everton jobs in the past, Potter said he will never be thought of as a “sexy” coach, saying: “It is hard to be a sexy name when you are called Potter, especially if your first name is Graham. Then it becomes even more difficult. Add into that a long face and a ginger beard and all the rest of it and I just have to stick to being a football coach and work with the players.”
Often referred to as a compassionate and thoughtful coach, Potter cemented himself as one of the game’s most exciting prospects at Brighton – where he was charged with turning them from a consistently relegation-threatened side to a stable Premier League club with a more adventurous style of play.
Former Seagulls forward Glenn Murray played under him and said Potter was a “thought-provoking manager” who “meticulously studies every opponent”.
“He knows exactly what he wants, but he wants feedback from the players. It’s a collective rather than a dictatorship,” added Murray.
“One thing that really struck me about him, and he probably doesn’t get enough credit for, is that we were a team that were in survival mode in the Premier League.
“He managed to change the culture and change the style of play. That’s not an easy thing to do while remaining stable.”
Amid the focus on tactically dogmatic coaches such as Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim, Murray said Potter’s style was “fluid” and he was not opposed to making changes to formation or tactics during a game.
“When I played under him, we would change formations two or three times in a single afternoon, which is quite a skill to be able to have your players understand everything you want from them and be able to change in-game,” he admitted.
While Brighton have gone on to achieve bigger things since Potter left the Amex – playing in Europe under Roberto de Zerbi after achieving a sixth-placed Premier League finish – sources at the Seagulls have suggested the Italian boss benefited massively from the work Potter had done during his stint.
Off the pitch, Brighton sources said Potter was a “deep thinker” and a “very intelligent guy” who cares about the world. He once spent a night on the streets to raise awareness for homelessness and has a Masters degree in leadership.
