Graham Potter Has One Summer Transfer Window To Prove He's the Real Deal

Photo Via West Ham United

Just under a year ago West Ham manager Graham Potter was reportedly in firm contention for the England job, arguably the most coveted position for an English manager in football. Now, it seems he’s entering the summer with one last chance to prove he’s the real deal.

Graham Potter, 50, made his name as the manager of Brighton & Hove Albion, where he led the club for three seasons, notably taking them to their highest ever top-flight finish in the 2020/21 season, with the clubs most ever points, wins, and fewest defeats. 

His success earned him a move to one of the biggest clubs in world football, Chelsea, where he succeeded Thomas Tuchel under the then-new ownership of Todd Boehly. It was a move that ultimately failed. The club sacked Potter in April of that year, after winning just seven of his twenty matches in charge, the joint-worst record of any Chelsea manager whose taken charge for that length of time. 

In the meantime, Brighton continues to operate as one of the best-run clubs in Europe. Under Roberto De Zerbi they climbed all the way up to sixth, earning European Football in Potter's first season away from the club. This season they’re heading for another top-half finish under new manager Fabian Hürzeler. Their success raises questions as to whether Potter earned credit for operating under a well run system, rather than crafting the success on his own.

Following his dismissal, Potter took an extended break from managerial life, until taking charge of West Ham in January. He’s now in his fifth month in charge of West Ham, and the London club sit 15th in the Premier League, after taking 17 points from 17 games. For the manager once seen as the next big thing in English football, it’s the worst win percentage of his career, at 22%.

Last weekend, Potters' side lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest at home. It was the seventh game in Potters' tenure that West Ham has lost by a one-goal margin. “We came up short, which is disappointing, but there was a lot there as well,” he said in his post-match comments. 

However, West Ham’s troubles can’t be entirely attributed to Potter. He inherited a squad whose performances had been floundering under then-manager Julian Lopetegui and was shipping goals at a high rate. He’s managed to improve the defense, dropping their goals conceded per match from 2 to 1.3, but that hasn’t translated into wins. 

On the other end of the pitch West Ham continues to struggle. The team relies heavily on Jarrod Bowen in attack, the West Ham star’s 19 goals and assists are nearly double that of anyone else in the squad. 

Potter hasn’t seemed to figure out his best formation in attack. There have been matches when the side seems to benefit from having Niclas Füllkrug as a focal point up top, but the German striker hasn’t found consistent form. In other matches, such as the 2-0 win against Manchester United a fortnight ago, the side performed well with a combination of Mohammed Kudus and Bowen in a front two. 

A major overhaul looks to be on the agenda this summer. Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Michail Antonio, and Vladimir Coufal are all entering the final months of their contracts. While club sources say Kudus may leave to fund other transfers, wrote The Athletic.

After two less-than-stellar spells since leaving Brighton, this summer may be Graham Potter’s last chance to prove that his success with Brighton wasn’t heavily based on the club’s existing leadership structure. For a man who was once considered one of England’s brightest stars in football management, it’s the most important three months of his career.