Graham Potter: Where next for ex-England contender after West Ham sacking?

Graham Potter's downward direction of travel has taken him from the coveted coach heavily touted as Sir Gareth Southgate's potential England successor to the pain of two brutal sackings after brief spells at Chelsea and West Ham.

Potter was dismissed by West Ham after only eight months in charge as they stand 19th in the Premier League in the wake of four defeats in five games, his reign following on from seven months at Stamford Bridge before he suffered a similar fate.

He claimed he was the victim of a "perfect storm" at Chelsea, his appointment coinciding with the club's new ownership - who sacked Thomas Tuchel in September 2022 to appoint Potter - embarking on a £323m spending spree in the January transfer window.

Potter, a meticulous coach who thrived at Brighton on time and structure, was left with a squad so big the changing room was too small to fit them all in. He was sacked in April 2023.

Now Potter has been engulfed by a similarly chaotic environment at West Ham, the reputation he built so carefully - along with a talented team at Brighton - in tatters.

Potter won only six of his 25 matches in charge since succeeding Julen Lopetegui, his low-key personality never winning favour with West Ham's demanding fans and his plight worsened by wretched results.

West Ham's sacking will arguably be even more disappointing for Potter than when he was dismissed at Chelsea, a decision that came with a measure of understanding because of the frantic, unstable surroundings that accompanied his tenure under co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.

This is because Potter waited 637 days to make what he regarded as a carefully calculated return to the game after leaving Chelsea, believing West Ham was the ideal place to flourish once more.

Potter described his arrival at West Ham as: "A bit like Christmas - Christmas for the adults."

Instead, it became a long, drawn-out nightmare reaching its inevitable conclusion, although West Ham's timing still raised questions, coming as it did 24 hours after Potter had been allowed to carry out media duties looking ahead to Monday evening's game at Everton.

Potter was certainly not the sole culprit at West Ham, with the anger of fans also directed at chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady, with protests taking place before the home defeat by Crystal Palace, which proved to be the manager's final game.

Potter joined West Ham refreshed and with his reputation intact, a highly regarded, measured individual who was in the Football Association's post-Southgate calculations and who had also attracted the interest of Everton when they dismissed Sean Dyche.

He had risen steadily, a considered constructor of clubs and teams rather than a quick-fix problem solver that made him an ill fit for clubs as demanding - on and off the pitch - as Chelsea.

After waiting so long for what he believed was the right club for his managerial and coaching talents, Potter walked straight into a hole at West Ham.

He came to prominence at Ostersund in Sweden before being appointed manager of Swansea in June 2018, and his development and attractive playing style earned him a move to Brighton a year later.

Brighton was the perfect platform for Potter, home to patience and planning under owner Tony Bloom alongside technical director Dan Ashworth, with a smart recruitment team that uncovered gems such as midfielders Moises Caicedo and Alex Mac Allister.

Potter was at his best on the training ground, leading Brighton to ninth in the Premier League the season before he left, leaving them to join Chelsea when the Seagulls were fourth after winning four of their first six games, including an opening-weekend win at Manchester United.

He can point to leading Chelsea into the last eight of the Champions League while at Stamford Bridge, but - as at West Ham - Potter seemed at times to be overwhelmed by events before being consumed by a ruthless sacking.

Potter's downfall has come from joining two clubs with polar opposite approaches to Brighton, where Bloom never lost faith even after an early run of only two wins in 19 games. Potter had the trust and faith of the hierarchy in a manner which has never been replicated since.

Former England defender Martin Keown told the BBC: "Potter was at Chelsea not so long ago. He could have been an England manager.

"Now you look at his career and his win percentage at Chelsea and West Ham. His next job now in the Premier League, if he gets one, is really very important for him."

Potter has not actually dealt in high win percentages throughout his Premier League career.

In 120 games at Brighton he won 34 and lost 42, with a 28% winning ratio. At Chelsea it was 32%, with seven wins, while at West Ham he won six games or 26%.

Potter's strength as a coach was always organisation and tactical discipline, yet he even looked lost in this context at West Ham, especially at set-pieces.

Keown said: "I watched them play Spurs a couple of weeks ago and you saw the set-pieces.

"They have conceded seven goals from set-pieces this season. It looked like a set of schoolboys out there - no real direction. Eventually that has to come back to the manager."

The usually calm Potter exterior was replaced by a personality who looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders as a second high-profile Premier League failure unfolded.

Where Potter goes next is purely guesswork.

The continent may call, where he could find a set-up that suits him, but the notion of a big Premier League post is fanciful in the extreme.

Potter's ending at West Ham caps a spectacular fall from grace from the territory where he was once a live contender in the conversation of those with the qualities befitting an England manager.

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