MY ACCOUNT
Graham Potter admitted the chance to manage Chelsea was too good to turn down.
Potter left Brighton and Hove Albion to take over as head coach at Stamford Bridge last week after Thomas Tuchel had been sacked by the London club.
Speaking at his first press conference as Chelsea boss ahead of the Champions League group stage clash against Salzburg, Potter said he was grateful for the trust the club’s new owners put in him and is looking forward to getting started.
“You have to look at the football club here, the tradition, the quality, the size, the ambition of the club, to compete in the Champions League, to compete at the top of the Premier League,” he said when asked why he left Brighton for this opportunity.
“It’s a completely different challenge to the ones I’ve had.
“I’m very thankful for the ownership here, putting their trust in me and believing in me, to work with an exciting group of players, to be competitive, and to put a team on the pitch that supporters are really proud of.
“I’m very excited, as you can imagine, and looking forward to getting going.”
The 47-year-old, who has also managed Swedish side Ostersund and Swansea City, admitted it has been a quick transition from one job to another, speaking just nine days after his former Brighton team had impressed with a 5-2 thrashing of Leicester City.
“It feels like nine weeks, or nine months!” he exclaimed.
“The beauty of football is you never know what’s round the corner. Things happen quickly.
“It’s been a whirlwind in terms of getting to know people, leaving Brighton, learning about the players, getting to know them, but so far it’s been really positive, my first impressions have been really good. I’m looking forward to starting.”
Potter is widely admired in the game for his style of football. Since the start of last season, only Liverpool (11.4) and Manchester City (9.9) have averaged more high turnovers per game than Brighton (9.8) in the Premier League.
He insisted he wants a team at Chelsea that plays his desired way, but also plays to win.
“The team that I’d like to see is one that is balanced in terms of attack and defence, a humble team, a respectful team that runs hard and fights,” he added.
“We want to entertain, of course we do, but we also want to win. I’m respectful of the Premier League, I’m respectful of our opponents, there’s a lot of teams that want to do the same thing.
“We want to create our own team, our own identity so it’s recognisable, and supporters understand what we’re trying to do, can see what we’re trying to do, and we’ll fight every day for it.”
