[Albion] If you were Graham Potter and you were offered the Chelsea job would you take it?

[Super Steve Earle]

I can't help thinking this was all set up with the Cucurella move/Colwill loan. If it looks too good to be true, perhaps it was, with a tacit understanding that Tuchel was in the last chance saloon and they would approach us for Potter if relations didn't improve with Tuchel. This has all happened so quickly that I struggle to believe it was a knee jerk reaction to sack him with no replacement in mind. Potter was lined up and was able to drop everything to go and talk to Boehly, apparently with our blessing. If he goes, I'd almost like to think that's the case and we are equally prepared with a successor in mind.

 

[severnside gull]

It’s his one chance to back himself to make the big time - say no and it will reduce his appeal to other top sides.
Sadly in my view it’s a no-brainier

 

[trueblue]

Potter has a recruitment guy that he’s taking with him , Chelsea also just appointing a new DoF or similar

You can imagine the conversation.

Kyle MacAuley (recruitment guy): "I've unearthed this striker in South America who could be ready for the first team in a couple of years if we loan him out and develop him carefully. Will probably take a while to bed in once he starts playing Premier League football"

Chelsea owner: "Hmmm. Yes, interesting. But this guy who's just scored a hat-trick in the Champions League is available for £100 million and he's got 20 million Instagram followers. Let's do that".

 

[dwayne]

Keep clutching at them straws…….

If there was one manager who could suprise everyone and do something left field it would be potter.

Cold light of day if he's given assurances by Chelsea it probably is the right time to go though. Make hay while the sun shines and all that.

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[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Was the 'little woman' making his breakfast and ironing his shirt while her man came to this decision to financially save the family single-handedly from the poverty trap? Maybe his kids are capable of forging their own careers and supporting themselves too. You never know.

Best of luck seeking a post-1970s narrative from that conversation. To engage you need to think about how the average Brit approached life 'pre Common Market'

 

[Nathan]

Potter obviously has a decision to make, and that is does he believe everything the new Chelsea owners are promising him. If he does believe them then he will be off.

 

[trueblue]

I can't help thinking this was all set up with the Cucurella move/Colwill loan. If it looks too good to be true, perhaps it was, with a tacit understanding that Tuchel was in the last chance saloon and they would approach us for Potter if relations didn't improve with Tuchel. This has all happened so quickly that I struggle to believe it was a knee jerk reaction to sack him with no replacement in mind. Potter was lined up and was able to drop everything to go and talk to Boehly, apparently with our blessing. If he goes, I'd almost like to think that's the case and we are equally prepared with a successor in mind.

Why sign Aubameyang though, who only Tuchel would have wanted? I think the swiftness is simply because Potter has a release clause and they'll meet it. The deal usually is that once that happens, you can't prevent the employee talking to the other club.

 

[Bozza]

It’s his one chance to back himself to make the big time - say no and it will reduce his appeal to other top sides.
Sadly in my view it’s a no-brainier

Indeed, yet less than 24 hours ago on these hallowed pages there was a significant group of people who were adamant that Potter would have absolutely no interest at all in the Chelsea gig. It was a stance that could only be taken with the very thickest prescription blue and white striped glasses on.

 

[darkwolf666]

A little thought did enter my mind.

Was this move to Chelsea already on the cards when Chelsea gazumped Manchester City for Cucurella's signature, had the ground work been laid at that time, was Potter tapped up?

I love a conspiracy theory me!

 

[Springal]

You can imagine the conversation.

Kyle MacAuley (recruitment guy): "I've unearthed this striker in South America who could be ready for the first team in a couple of years if we loan him out and develop him carefully. Will probably take a while to bed in once he starts playing Premier League football"

Chelsea owner: "Hmmm. Yes, interesting. But this guy who's just scored a hat-trick in the Champions League is available for £100 million and he's got 20 million Instagram followers. Let's do that".

Allegedly he suggested Caciedo & Cucurella and they didn’t need much bedding in time

 

[dwayne]

If there was one manager who could suprise everyone and do something left field it would be potter.

Cold light of day if he's given assurances by Chelsea it probably is the right time to go though. Make hay while the sun shines and all that.

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This sounds less certain from romano

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1567784140078022657?t=O5GPwu6fyUFkNbFx_eftiA&s=19

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[Harry Wilson's tackle]

My heart says No my head says Yes.

He can never have the same passion for the Albion as we all do, its a job that he does very well, but its still a job.

Chelsea is a job that presents life changing money for him, puts him competing with the cream of Europe, and their academy is the envy of the majority of domestic football, which will be a huge plus.

I sincerely hope I'm proved wrong, but if he was going to stay, surely he would have declined a meeting with them?

Not necessarily. As I posted elsewhere I have been interviewed for numerous jobs over the last 30 years, have been offered many, and have turned them all down. If someone taps me up over a job it makes sense to chat - even if just to confirm how green the grass is under my own feet. It happens.

But I agree with the rest of your analysis

 

[Icy Gull]

I would be concerned how a few pissed of multi millionaire superstars would react to me when things were going badly.

He hasn’t ever encountered that situation has he?

I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that will be his undoing at Chelsea rather than a falling out with owners and fans

He really is going to find a very very different challenge to what he has encountered so far.

Being a reasonable and thoughtful man I reckon he’ll find it very difficult when things go wrong..which they will

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Why sign Aubameyang though, who only Tuchel would have wanted? I think the swiftness is simply because Potter has a release clause and they'll meet it. The deal usually is that once that happens, you can't prevent the employee talking to the other club.

Because they needed a world class centre forward and he is one? I don't buy in that nobody else would have wanted him.

 

[trueblue]

Allegedly he suggested Caciedo & Cucurella and they didn’t need much bedding in time

True, but that's in our team. Not sure they'd have been welcomed with open arms straight into Chelsea's line-up. And it was a while before Caicedo got his opportunity after moving to Europe.

 

[trueblue]

Because they needed a world class centre forward and he is one? I don't buy in that nobody else would have wanted him.

Arsenal couldn't wait to get rid. I suppose we'll see.

 

[portlock seagull]

I sort of understand what you are saying, but if, as mentioned here Graham Potter is currently on £2 million a year, equating to over £1 million take home, clearly Chelsea can improve on that, but how much of a "nest egg" does his family need? A good manager's career is less likely to be as short lived as a player's, with no risk of a career ending injury, so there is potential to work in this role for 20 to 30 years. Even at the level that Brighton are paying him, that's a lot of money in a managerial lifetime.

I don't have Potter down as a mercenary, so could only see him moving for football reasons.*




* obviously taking the improved wage as well.

If you earn £6m take home (contract) and that doesn’t set you up for life, then you’re doing something wrong.

Anyway, he’s gone. Salary and available transfer budget are so vastly different that any debate as to whether he’ll stay or go is pointless. Anyone who believes the former is, well, fooling themselves to put it mildly!

Thanks for the memories Graham,

 

[GT49er]

As much as it hurts, in these troubled times and with an uncertain future, the bigger the nest egg he can build and the more he can protect his children's future the better. Even if he wanted to stay, I'm sure his wife will be telling him to bloody well take it. In reality I don't think it will have taken him more than a minute or two to have made his decision and I don't blame him one bit. I still think it may well end in tears for Chelsea but as a man he has to back himself in a situation like this. You only live once. So unfortunately yes, I'd take it.

Chelsea could be the new Manchester United - they've got Todd Boehly's random collection of expensive super-stars but not a team. Potter is good, very good, and will get chances to move to a top top club - he doesn't need to snatch at the first chance as if it's the only chance he'll get; it isn't - and IMHO it's not the best one.

That all counts for nothing, of course. I think he's off.

 

[pornomagboy]

maybe the club are offering him a improved contract with more money to try and keep him, if he really wanted chelsea then he would have signed contract yesterday when meeting or am clutching at straws

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[Bozza]

True, but that's in our team. Not sure they'd have been welcomed with open arms straight into Chelsea's line-up. And it was a while before Caicedo got his opportunity after moving to Europe.

A few weeks ago on 5Live's Monday Night Club they covered this in quite some detail.

The collective thought, possibly led by the excellent Rory Smith, was that the big clubs just can't afford to take risks on the like of Caicedo - the stakes at their level of the game are just too high, so they are largely content to let #ClubsLikeBrighton take those risks knowing they will then pay a massive premium to pick up the players who are a success when they are Premier League proven and ready for that final step up.

I thought that made sense to me.