Graham Potter has been unveiled as the new head coach of Chelsea football club on Monday 12 September 2022 as announced on the club’s official Twitter Handle.
After being introduced as Chelsea’s new manager, Potter described his goals for the club.
Following the West Londoners’ agreement to pay Brighton £20 million for the Englishman and his coaching staff, potter replaced coach Thomas Tuchel on September 7, 2022.
As Potter, 47, put on his new team’s uniform for the first time, he was given a tour of Chelsea’s Cobham training facility.
Before meeting with the Blues club media for the first time, he posed for photos in his new gear all over the cutting-edge facilities.
“The new ownership, I was really impressed by, first as people and then the vision of the club,” Potter said when asked what drew him to Chelsea. “It’s the start of a really exciting moment.
“The history of the club speaks for itself but it’s about trying to create that again in our own way.”
Potter then added: “It’s an amazing history, fantastic tradition, a historic football club. I mean, growing up with the fantastic teams of Chelsea, of the modern era.
“You only have to walk around the place here and you see the pictures, you see the trophies, you see the names.
“It’s incredible and it’s a huge honour, like I said, for me to be a part of that now.
“It’s about creating a team that competes, that has respect for each other, that is honest, that works together, so it’s a combination of, I would say, football and human values that we try to work with.”
Potter vowed to “build relationships” following allegations that his predecessor Tuchel had quarreled with players.
He said: “I think that you have to understand that they’re human beings first, and the key thing is to try understand them.
“Understand what motivates them and understand what they’re like as people, and then, from that, try to come to some common ground, try to build relationships, to try to communicate effectively on a daily basis and build respect, trust and honesty.
“My starting point would always be the person first. I had a football career that I was very fortunate to have that gave me loads of opportunities, loads of experience and then my education, after retiring, I suppose gave me a chance to put that into some theory, to put some context to the experiences.
“Challenges abroad meant that I could widen my thoughts on myself, on life, on football, which was a fantastic experience for me, so all of those challenges, all those experiences, I think shape you as a human being.
“They make you grow, they make you develop. I always think that in order to get better you have to take a little step outside of what’s comfortable and our job as coaches is to provide the players that opportunity to do that.”
Due to the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Chelsea’s brief trip to Fulham was postponed on Saturday, the day that Potter was scheduled to take command of his debut game.
Now, on Wednesday night, when his new team plays RB Salzburg in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, he will receive his first taste of action with the Blues.
Why did Chelsea fire Thomas Tuchel?
The demise of Roman Abramovich’s ownership was thought to be advantageous for Chelsea managers’ longevity.
No English club won more trophies than the Russian’s 21 total during his 19-year reign, but 13 different managers—two of whom returned for another term—rarely felt at ease in the Stamford Bridge managerial chair for an extended period of time.
When Thomas Tuchel took over for Frank Lampard in January 2021, he was aware of the risks he was taking. At least, he believed he did.
While many of his predecessors, notably Lampard, talked about creating a dynasty, Tuchel preferred the erratic nature of the position he had been given. He was going to make the most of the top infrastructure that was created with winning in mind.
Did Todd Boehly make a right choice in Graham Potter?
As the club’s public face during a tense time when Chelsea’s very existence felt threatened, Tuchel embraced a quasi-ambassadorial position.
The position altered once more in May after the consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital finally finalized their purchase of the club.
Tuchel was requested to take on more responsibility for the transfer strategy, have regular conversations with the new owners, take into account outside opinion, and modify his original ideas.
The strain that resulted from that move eventually led to the sudden departure of the German. It also explains why Graham Potter was chosen by Boehly and Clearlake to take his place. It is believed that the English tactician who has a second degree in psychology has what it takes to relate with the players and the club’s management better than his predecessor.
