Risk-taker Potter excited for latest
IN ONE way at least, and just like Chelsea, Graham Potter is heading into the unknown.
‘Off the top of my head, I don’t think I have (been to a Champions League game),’ he admitted, ahead of his Blues bow tonight against Red Bull Salzburg after succeeding Thomas Tuchel. ‘So this is a good time to go into the dugout. Why not? Wherever we start, it is a heck of an introduction.’
But when it comes to stepping out of his comfort zone, Potter (left) has been there and done that. It is one of the many reasons he appealed to Chelsea’s new Todd Boehly-led ownership and why they were willing to hand a manager who had never coached an elite club a well-earned chance. Leaving the safety of Brighton, who he helped transform, for Chelsea, with their history of ruthless sackings, may seem risky.
But Potter said: ‘Well, if we walk out the road over there, there is a risk. That’s what life is. No one knows what’s going to happen.
‘I left England when I was 30 and went to a club (Ostersunds) who had sacked their manager every year for the last five years. Fourth tier in Swedish football. Left a secure job.
‘But I think that’s what life is about — going outside your comfort zone, taking responsibility, believing that there’s more to us than what sits here now.
‘I don’t see it as a risk in a negative way. Everything is a bit unknown and that’s the beauty of life, the beauty of football. You never know what is round the corner.’ Potter accepted the job following some ‘intense conversations’ with Chelsea’s owners which left him impressed by them and their plans for the club.
They intend to do things differently at Chelsea now and have handed the 47-year-old a five-year deal, underlining their long-term thinking. The club has also held talks with Christoph Freund, of tonight’s opponents Salzburg, in their search for a new sporting director.
The Queen’s death, just a few hours after Potter’s appointment was confirmed last week, has dictated events since.
His unveiling was an understated occasion, combined with a regulation pre-match press conference, while Salzburg’s visit will be Potter’s only game until next month.
‘It was one of those days where in 40 years’ time we’ll go, “Where were you when that happened?” It’ll be easy for to me answer, that’s for sure,’ he said of last Thursday. ‘It was a seismic day on loads of
levels. Without sounding silly, I was the main news, I guess. Then sadly I didn’t become the news at all. Pretty quickly your thoughts are with the family.’
The day that will never be forgotten marked the start of the next chapter in Potter’s remarkable rise from non-League to one of the biggest jobs in the game. He said: ‘It was too big to turn down and it felt right for me. I’ve grown up with the success (of Chelsea). It’s been amazing and our job is to create our own history.’ Meanwhile, Blues co-owner Boehly has suggested the Premier League introduce an all-star North v South game to raise money for the English football pyramid.
Speaking at the SALT conference, the 48-year-old — who admitted he does not say ‘hard nos’ when asked about the European Super League — said: ‘I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports and really starts to figure out, “Why wouldn’t we do a tournament with the bottom four teams? Why isn’t there an all-star game?”
‘You could do a North v South all-star game in the Premier League and fund whatever the pyramid needed very easily. Everyone likes the idea of more revenue for the League.’ Boehly also revealed that Tuchel was sacked because he did not share the new ownership’s vision for the club. He added: ‘Tuchel is obviously extremely talented and someone who had great success with Chelsea.
‘Our vision for the club was to find a manager who really wanted to collaborate with us. The reality was that we weren’t sure that Thomas saw it the same way we saw it.
‘We just didn’t have a shared vision for the future. It wasn’t a decision that was made because of a single win or loss.’
CHELSEA (3-5-3): Arrizabalaga; Fofana, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Mount, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Sterling, Aubameyang. SALZBURG (4-4-2): Kohn; Dedic, Pavlovic, Bernardo, Ulmer; Capaldo, Seiwald, Sucic, Kjaergaard; Fernando, Okafor.