Graham Potter ‘could now be ready for Leicester job as key issue now removed’
Graham Potter will be the Leicester owners’ top choice to be the new manager once more and could now be ready to accept with a key issue now gone, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.
The Foxes have failed to win any of their last five matches and currently sit 16th in the league, just one point above the relegation zone, after Steve Cooper’s dismissal as manager.
A defeat to former manager Enzo Maresca proved the final straw as Leicester lost 2-1 to Chelsea in a poor performance on 23 November and he was let go soon after, with Football Insider reporting senior stars criticising him to the ownership.
Potter remains Leicester’s “main target” to succeed Steve Cooper as new head coach, with Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Moyes also expected to be interested in the role, after failing to appoint the ex-Chelsea boss in the summer.
But with the threat of a points deduction over spending now removed the former Swansea and Brighton manager is tipped to be more ready to take charge at the King Power.
Crook said (24 November, 11.07am): “I was told very early in his tenure the Leicester owner wasn’t particularly enamoured with Steve Cooper, they had reservations right from the start. It’s pretty clear that Graham Potter was their first choice in the summer. When he asked for more time to consider their contract offer then they went to Steve Cooper.
“Graham Potter, once again, is a main target for this job. I guess the question for him to answer is, ‘What’s changed since the summer?’ If he wasn’t convinced by the project then, could he be now?
“I know one of the issues was the threat of a potential points deduction. We know that isn’t going to happen now, so maybe that might help sway Potter’s mind. Watch that one with interest…If the owner has his way then, as in the summer, Potter will be the top target.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Moyes linked to Leicester after Steve Cooper sacked
Football Insider Opinion
The Englishman is a manager who found Brighton in 17th and took them into the Premier League’s top 10 playing brilliant, attacking football.
Potter took charge of the Albion in May 2019 and got his team to play in a more expansive fashion, he led them to a 15th-placed finish, a joint-high with their highest points total (41) and highest goals total (39) in their three Premier League seasons.
After a 2020/21 season of similar results, things began to click in 2021/22 when Brighton finished eighth. A few standout results included a 4-0 home win over Man United at home, and a 2-2 draw at Liverpool, having come from 2-0 down.
The 49-year-old guided Brighton to their best-ever Premier League start in 2022/23, earning 13 points from the first six matches leaving the Seagulls in fourth place before taking over Chelsea.
The Foxes’ current predicament bears similarities to the situation Potter faced at the Amex, where he was tasked with revitalising a club with limited resources. Potter’s expertise in building an organised, attacking team on a tight budget makes him a perfect fit for Leicester, who, like the Seagulls in the past, need a manager capable of maximising their potential and guiding them back into the top half of the Premier League.
His experience at Stamford Bridge can arguably to overlooked due to the disarray he found himself at the centre off after their takeover, and it looks like it could now be second time lucky for Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.
In other news, Leicester are interested in signing a Brighton player in January.
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