Premier League manager has been sacked this afternoon and Graham Potter has taken his place!
Graham Potter, who was fired as Chelsea’s head coach eight months ago, is ready to return to management, according to 90min, amid reports linking him to Manchester United.
Last September, the 48-year-old signed a five-year contract to follow Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, but he was fired in April after winning only 12 games across all competitions out of a potential 31.
Potter’s departure was confirmed following a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, who have thrived under Europa League specialist Unai Emery’s supervision.
Potter has turned down offers to take over at Lyon and Leicester since leaving Chelsea, with ties to Championship strugglers Stoke City falling short, but he is now set to return to manager in 2024.
Potter is reportedly in the running to succeed Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, who are in turmoil following a dismal start to the season. United’s defeat against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, their 12th in all competitions, saw them eliminated from the Champions League, and their performance in Group A was the club’s worst since the league was reformed in 1992.
United do not have the luxury of sliding into the Europa League after finishing last in a group that included Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen, and they are currently sixth in the Premier League league after losing seven of their 16 games.
The demoralising 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford last weekend has increased the strain on Ten Hag, who has already had to deal with allegations of dissatisfaction in the dressing room, and uncertainty about the future of key players has added fuel to the fire.
Erik Ten Hag
The pressure is increasing on Erik ten Hag at Manchester United / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages.
Potter is the frontrunner with many bookmakers to follow Ten Hag at Old Trafford, and he appears to have supporters within INEOS, the corporation chaired by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and on the verge of acquiring a 25% interest in United.
Prior to Francesco Farioli’s appointment in June, Potter was a candidate to take CEO at OGC Nice, which is also controlled by INEOS and Ratcliffe.
According to 90min, members of United’s prospective new administration like Potter’s work, but no big changes are planned in Manchester until a new football department is founded.
Results may eventually determine whether United alter their minds about Ten Hag, but he has been tipped to turn around the club’s fortunes after years of underachievement. Off-field troubles have plagued United, with their recent transfer activity being a particular source of dissatisfaction among many fans, but there were hints of on-field improvement last year when the club broke a six-year trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup.
Potter’s resume, meanwhile, includes a highly successful three-and-a-half year spell at Brighton, which laid the groundwork for the club’s upward trajectory, as well as spells at Swansea City and Ostersund, whom he led from Sweden’s fourth tier to competing in the 2017/18 Europa League, famously defeating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium along the way.
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