Potter Sacked by Chelsea: The journey of Graham Potter from Sweden to England

Graham Potter sacked
Struggling to impact the team
Owners statement
An extraordinary journey...so far
Moving to Sweden
Promotions
Consolidation in the top tier
A European journey
What a run
Bowing out of the Europa League
Moving to Swansea
Not what he wanted
Moving to the Premier League
Solid Premier League debut
A top ten finish
Moving to a European giant
Struggling to find his feet
Poor results
Graham Potter sacked

Chelsea has sacked manager Graham Potter after just seven months in charge of the club.

Struggling to impact the team

Potter has struggled to make an impact at the London club, and after losing to Aston Villa 2-0 last weekend, Potter leaves the club in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Owners statement

According to skysports.com, Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity, and we are all disappointed in this outcome."

An extraordinary journey...so far

From the fourth tier of Swedish football to the Champions League winners of Chelsea, let's look back at Graham Potter's unique journey as a manager in football.

Moving to Sweden

After coaching roles in the non-league of English Football, Graham Potter signed a three-year contract with Swedish fourth-tier side Ostersund in December 2010.

Promotions

After just under five years in charge of the club, Potter had led Ostersund to the top flight of Swedish football, with successive promotions from 2011-2013 to the Swedish second tier, and then finishing second in the second tier to gain promotion to the Allsvenskan in 2015.

Consolidation in the top tier

The English manager consolidated his side in the Swedish top tier, finishing eighth in his first season, and then a year later, winning the Svenska Cupen, beating Norrköping 4-1 in the final.

A European journey

A win in the domestic cup granted his side a place in the qualifying round of the 2017-18 Europa League. Potter's side shocked European football, beating Turkish giants Galatasaray, Luxembourg side Fola Esch, and Greek team PAOK to historically qualify for the group stages.

What a run

In a group possessing clubs such as Athletic Bilbao and Hertha Berlin, Potter led his Ostersund side to a second-place finish, qualifying for the Europa League knockout rounds, facing Arsenal.

Bowing out of the Europa League

Despite a shock 2-1 victory at the Emirates, the Swedish side lost in the second game, bowing out of the competition, losing 4-2 on aggregate.

Moving to Swansea

After a historic seven-year spell in Sweden, newly relegated Swansea City appointed Graham Potter in June 2018, hoping he would bring them the same success he had with Ostersund.

Not what he wanted

In one season with the Welsh side, Potter led Swansea to a tenth-place finish in the Championship and nearly got them to Wembley, losing 3-2 to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final after being up in the game 2-0.

Moving to the Premier League

After just one year in charge of Swansea, Potter rejected a new contract at the Championship club and instead joined Brighton and Hove Albion, signing a four-year deal.

Solid Premier League debut

In his first two seasons, Potter led Brighton to a club record-breaking 41 points and a 15th and 16th place finish in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons.

A top ten finish

His third season in charge of 'The Seagulls' was his best yet, achieving a ninth-place finish, securing 51 Premier League points, and beating teams such as Manchester United 4-0 during the year.

Moving to a European giant

After dominating victories away at Manchester United and at home to Leicester City at the start of the 2022-2023 season, Potter was appointed the manager of Chelsea in September 2022 after the sacking of Thomas Tuchel.

Struggling to find his feet

Potter has failed to make any impact, being knocked out of the FA Cup third round and leaving the club in the bottom half of the table.

Poor results

In 22 games as the Chelsea manager in the Premier League, Potter failed to bring consistency to a group of elite players, winning seven, drawing seven, and losing eight matches.

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