Graham Potter tied to surprising move as international manager
Graham Potter has links to a surprising move to the position of international manager of Sweden. His most recent post was at Stamford Bridge as the manager of Chelsea.
The Englishman returns to the job market a year after taking over at Chelsea. His stint with the Blues was shaky, and Chelsea performed poorly. Yet, that club is still out of sorts with inconsistent results and rising expenses on transfers and wages.
After Chelsea let him go in April, Potter has not found a job. He faced widespread rumors about picking up a new job as a manager at different European clubs. The English manager turned each of those down. The previous several months have seen the English boss reject offers from the Premier League and the Championship.
Meanwhile, Potter was among the possible successors to David Moyes at West Ham. Likewise, when Tottenham and Leicester City searched for coaches, he was a candidate. In France, Fabio Grosso earned the Lyon job as the man to replace Laurent Blanc.
Also, The Sun recently reported that Manchester United may pursue Potter if they fire Erik ten Hag. INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a great supporter of the head coach.
The British tycoon is planning to buy a quarter of the club for almost $1.8 billion, giving him potential control over all footballing operations. As a result, some have speculated that, if the Dutchman’s shaky start to the season continues, Potter may be given the reins to another prominent position in the Premier League.
Sweden calling upon Graham Potter
However, he has a new potential landing spot just two weeks after the Manchester United rumor. Graham Potter is a candidate for the role of Sweden’s new national team manager.
Sweden started looking for a new manager to replace Janne Andersson after their disappointing performance in the Euro 2024 qualifying tournament. If the Blue and Yellow do not secure their place in the tournament in Germany next summer, the Swedish FA said last month, Andersson will resign from his position.
As of the most recent international break, Austria and Belgium have already advanced from Group F, leaving Sweden nine points down, thereby ending their qualifying ambitions. They have two more qualifying matches under Andersson’s watch, but the search has begun for his replacement.
Andrea Mollerberg is the secretary general of the Swedish FA. Mollerberg confirmed Graham Potter is one of the individuals under consideration for the role.
Familiar place for Potter
“You can say this. The list of names that 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”, Mollerberg told Swedish channel TV4, via Daily Mail.
Potter led Swedish team Ostersund to victory during his tenure as manager from 2011 to 2018. The 48-year-old stood himself as the driving force behind three promotions for Ostersund in only five years. In 2017, under his leadership, Ostersund won the Swedish Cup and went on a historic run in the Europa League.
PHOTOS: IMAGO