Graham Potter has taken an unusual route to the top of football management since his playing career ended with Macclesfield Town in 2005.
Receiving a lone cap for England under-21s as a player, Potter entered coaching with little pedigree and had to prove his skills through a unique path that took him to Ghana and Sweden before returning to the UK.
Graham Potter’s Early Coaching Career
- Potter began his coaching career in the English University system.
- Following his graduation with a Social Sciences degree in 2005, Potter was a football development manager at the University of Hull.
- In 2007, Potter was the technical director for the Ghana women’s team at the 2007 World Cup.
- Potter was an assistant manager with the English Universities squad before fulfilling the same role at Leeds Beckett University.
- During his time at Leeds Beckett, Potter completed an MSc in Leadership with a focus on emotional intelligence.
- In 2008, Potter took over as manager of Leeds Carnegie in the Northern Counties East League Division One, leading the club to the third round of the FA Vase and narrowly missing out on promotion.
Graham Potter’s Record at Östersund
- Potter departed Carnegie in January 2011 after signing a contract with Östersund of the Swedish fourth tier.
- Östersund recorded back-to-back promotions under Potter, resulting in a three-year contract extension in 2011.
- In 2015, Potter led Östersund to the top flight for the first time in their history and were widely praised for finishing eighth in their debut campaign.
- Potter led Östersund to victory in the Svenska Cupen, the Swedish equivalent of the FA Cup, in 2017, which secured them a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
- Under Potter, Östersund beat Galatastaray, Fola Esch and PAOK to reach the Europa League group stages, where they finished second ahead of Zorya Luhansk and Hertha Berlin.
- Potter saw his side beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the knockout rounds, but they were ultimately eliminated by the Gunners.
- Potter won 51 per cent of his matches in charge of Östersund.
Graham Potter’s Record at Swansea
- Potter’s Östersund tenure came to an end in June 2018 when he signed a three-year contract with Welsh club Swansea.
- Potter led Swansea to a quarter-final encounter with Manchester City in the FA Cup. They led 2-0 early on, before eventually conceding three late goals to lose the tie.
- Potter won 21 of his 51 matches in charge of the club, a win percent of 41.2 per cent, before departing for Brighton in May 2019.
Graham Potter’s Record at Brighton & Hove Albion
- Potter guided Brighton to 15th in the Premier League in his first season with the club.
- Brighton finished 16th in his second season, but the campaign had several memorable moments with wins over Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City.
- Potter began his third season on the south coast strongly, with the Seagulls sitting in fourth after eight games.
- Brighton endured a poor run between late-September and Boxing Day, but finished the season in good form to record a club-best finish of ninth.
- Potter’s stock rose dramatically in the final couple of months of the campaign with victories against Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United.
- Potter led Brighton to a 2-1 win over Manchester United on the opening weekend of the 2022-23 season, the club’s first ever win at Old Trafford.
- Potter won 31.1 per cent of his matches in charge of Brighton.
Graham Potter’s Record at Chelsea
- Chelsea activated a £16 million release clause in Potter’s Brighton contract after firing Thomas Tuchel.
- Potter penned a five-year contract with the club on September 8, 2022.
- Potter took charge of his first Chelsea game against Red Bull Salzburg on September 14, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
