Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan believes former Chelsea manager Graham Potter could be a good ‘fit’ for the Premier League outfit despite his Brighton and Hove Albion past.
His once-glittering reputation stained by that disastrous seven month stint at Stamford Bridge, Graham Potter may now be wary of making another bad call.
The one-time Swansea City and Ostersunds boss can probably survive one ill-fated spell. But two? That’s a different story.
No wonder Potter had reservations about taking over a relegation-threatened Leicester City following Brendan Rodgers’ dismissal in the spring; The Athletic reporting that the 48-year-old opted to take a sabbatical rather than risk following up that Chelsea spell with a bottom-three finish at the King Power Stadium.
But with The Independent now claiming that Potter has emerged as the number one choice to replace the 75-year-old Roy Hodgson, former Crystal Palace chief Jordan believes that the Solihull-born tactician ticks enough boxes to offset his relationship with The Eagles’ arch rivals Brighton.
Will Brighton hero Graham Potter now take the Crystal Palace job?
“He would be a fit. There’s no doubt he is a progressive manager,“ Jordan tells talkSPORT (31 May, 10am).
“We have to step out of the Chelsea situation and look at the work he did at Brighton. Everyone was waxing lyrical about what a great manager he is. That hasn’t changed.”
Potter transformed Brighton from a rather direct, lower-half team under Chris Hughton into one of the division’s most watchable sides; guiding the Seagulls to their first ever top-half Premier League finish.
Potter’s aesthetically-pleasing football – and his reputation for honing the talents of exciting, technically-gifted youngsters – understandably appeals to a Crystal Palace side who appear to be taking a leaf out of their rival’s playbook.
‘A sensible evolution’
“This guy is an established Premier League manager,“ Jordan adds. “The basis of what (Roberto) De Zerbi was able to bounce off was built by Potter. The change from a side that flirted with relegation; Potter took a side and built a team that was very easy to watch.
“There is no reason why Potter going into Palace isn’t a sensible evolution for the club. I wouldn’t be averse (to hiring Potter). There’s players at Palace who are good on the ball; Ebere Eze, Wilfried Zaha and a few others. There is a good nucleus there.
“I don’t think it’s a bad fit. I wouldn’t be sitting there saying; ‘We’ve got a failure from Chelsea’.
“Also Palace are a relatively established Premier League side. You rebuild (after failure). Potter could rebuild and, at the same time, benefit Crystal Palace.”
According to The Athletic, Potter also has admirers at Elland Road. Leeds’ hopes of recruiting one of Europe’s most admired out-of-work managers may have gone up in smoke however; relegation confirmed following that 4-1 final day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
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