Man Utd told Graham Potter 'deserves second chance' after Chelsea failure

Former Brighton manager Gus Poyet believes Graham Potter deserves another shot at being a Premier League boss after his move from the Seagulls turned sour last season. Potter left the Amex Stadium in September 2022 to replace Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, but his tenure lasted less than seven months before he was fired by co-owner Todd Boehly amid a poor run of results and a frenzied transfer policy.

The Uruguayan of course also has strong links to the Blues, having won three major trophies as a player there between 1997 and 2001. And while he was coy on speculation linking Potter to the Manchester United job this summer, he wants to see the Englishman back in top level management soon.

“Without going into Man United specifically, what Graham deserves is another chance in the top flight,” he told Express Sport, on behalf of Free Bets. “Maybe it’s too late, but only now does everybody know how difficult it was for him at Chelsea and he paid the price. But now I’m 100 per cent convinced that anything coming next will be a better situation for him.

“You learn a lot from that kind of negativity and he definitely deserves another chance in the Premier League. Now where? It could be one of the top teams like Man United but it depends on club situations. But let’s just hope we see him back soon because it was a pleasure to see him managing Brighton.”

But Potter isn’t the only manager on the market. Poyet’s own tenure at Brighton lasted from 2009 to 2013, and included a League One title win. A variety of different roles have since followed, with his latest job as manager of the Greek national side ending in heartbreak in March as his side lost on penalties in their Euro 2024 play-off final clash with Georgia.

The ex-midfielder has since been critical of the ‘politics’ involved in football in the country, but also believes he oversaw a period of progress during his two-year stint. “My contract was finished on March 1 irrespective of qualifying or not,” he insisted.

“It was always an option to stay. I can’t compare it (not qualifying) but look at Man City the past five or six years. They had to lose in a Champions League final to be able to win one. There is a process. And after winning one everyone thought they would win it again and no, they were out in quarter finals.

“That shows how difficult it is when you are at that level. From our point of view, and I think everyone will agree in Greece, we set a basis for something nice. A good group of players with a great mentality and we brought the fans back to the stadium. There is a connection again between the people and the national team, something completely missing in last four or five years.”

As for his next move, the 56-year-old seems open to anything, despite joking that his family weren’t so keen on the prospect of another move for a manager who has now plied his trade in England, Spain, Greece, China and Chile. “I really enjoyed working at international level,” he added.

“The good thing about me is I’m open to coaching in any place in the world so it’s not like I’m only looking for one option. So if you give me the chance to get back I will get back.”