sport news Chelsea top manager choice Graham Potter worked wonders at Brighton through ... trends now
Graham Potter has become one of the most highly rated young managers in the Premier League following his success with Brighton over the past few seasons.
His success at the south-coast side has seen him be linked with a host of top jobs in England, but after being permitted to talk to Chelsea over the vacant managerial role, he could be set for his chance to try his luck at one of the country's biggest clubs.
The former Swansea City manager was appointed after Chris Hughton left the club in 2019, and despite there not being an immediate upturn in results, there were plenty of signs for fans to be optimistic with Potter in charge of the club.
Brighton boss Graham Potter is Chelsea's first choice to replace the sacked Thomas Tuchel
In his first two seasons in charge at Brighton, he helped the club avoid relegation with 15th and 16th-placed finishes, all while evolving the style of the play and philosophy followed throughout the club.
Under Hughton, Brighton appeared like most Premier League newcomers with a decent backline and a familiar style of football that involved playing the ball up to an ageing Glenn Murray.
But Potter slowly moved the style of play on the pitch away from that and made Brighton a team comfortable in possession and able to create lots of dangerous chances, a style of football that has been deemed 'Potterball' by many Brighton fans.
Potter was always able to overcome his critics when things were not 100 per cent on the pitch
The club does have an impressive training complex in Lancing which cost £20million to build in 2014 and includes 11 full and half sized natural grass and artificial pitches as well as a half-size covered indoor pitch. This allows playing facilities to be available for the club's players and staff no matter the weather conditions.
This infrastructure helped Potter be able to bring the best out of his players, many of whom may not have seemed top-ten Premier League quality when he first arrived.
While there were times when it looked like Brighton could not hit a barn door, the blueprints of a team capable of challenging further up the Premier League table were there.
Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea after their Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb
That was proved last season as things started to fully click under Potter as he led the team to their highest-ever points and placed finish in the club's history.
Brighton came 9th in the table with 51 points, which was achieved on the final day of the season with a brilliant 3-1 win over David Moyes' Europa League semi-finalists West Ham.
This season Brighton look set to beat that record and have started in a brilliant fashion. Wins over Manchester United, Leeds, West Ham and Leicester City see the Seagulls sitting alongside the country's top sides in the Champions League spots.
