Graham Potter’s return to Chelsea coming on deadline day feels symbolic. West Ham’s head coach does not look back fondly at the extravaganza of player trading when he was in charge at Stamford Bridge in January 2023. It was a time of chaos and unreasonable pressure. The new owners were spending like there was no tomorrow and by the time the window closed it was left to Potter to make sense of a squad so bloated there was not enough space for everyone in the first-team dressing room.
Good luck with that. Chelsea had crowed after beating Arsenal to Mykhaylo Mudryk. Negotiations with Benfica led to a British transfer record for Enzo Fernández. Noni Madueke, David Datro Fofana and Benoît Badiashile joined. A deal for Malo Gusto was confirmed for the summer. João Félix arrived on loan. Jorginho took his experience and nous to Arsenal. Hakim Ziyech’s loan to Paris Saint-Germain collapsed because of technical issues. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had to be cut from the squad for the Champions League knockout stages. Potter, who takes West Ham to Stamford Bridge on Monday night, watched it all unfold and knew that expectations were about to go through the roof.
This is not to absolve him for how his time at Chelsea unravelled. Potter made odd decisions at times, used questionable tactics and never looked comfortable after leaving Brighton. There was the occasional high point – doing the double over Milan, reaching the last eight of the Champions League after a thrilling comeback against Borussia Dortmund – but overall the appointment did not work. Hopes that Potter would turn out to be Chelsea’s Mikel Arteta had evaporated by the time he was sacked after fewer than seven months.
It is worth pointing out that the evidence of half a season interrupted by a winter world Cup is not the clearest guide of a manager’s worth. There were mitigating factors. Potter was not picking the signings or agreeing the exorbitant fees. Unlike his successor, Maurico Pochettino, he did not have a pre-season. Potter joined a month into the 2022-23 season. He left Brighton in fourth place, was lauded for his inventive tactics and was regarded as a future England manager. It turned out badly but it was at the very least an interesting, bold appointment by Chelsea.
In the end it was a case of the wrong fit for both parties. Potter accepts that he could have done better. Equally his task was not made easier by Chelsea’s manoeuvres. That January intake is a mixed bag. Fernández has not justified his £106.7m fee and Badiashile has struggled with injuries. Gusto has been up and down this season and Fofana made four appearances before being loaned out last summer.
There is a churn at Chelsea. Madueke’s output is good and his potential obvious but his attitude has been questioned by Enzo Maresca. Mudryk has raw talent but was not producing it consistently before being provisionally suspended by the Football Association after a positive drug test. Félix went back to Atlético Madrid, had a year at Barcelona, returned to Stamford Bridge on a permanent deal last summer and is now being targeted by Aston Villa.
Bewildered? Imagine being the manager trying to piece it all together. Imagine doing it after replacing the charismatic fan hero and european champion Thomas Tuchel. It is not a surprise that Potter took time out before his next job. He needed to decompress. He did not want to make the wrong move. Talks with Ajax and Leicester fizzled out.
There were 21 months between Chelsea ditching Potter and West Ham turning to him. The 49-year-old has arrived at the London Stadium at a difficult time. West Ham erred in appointing Julen Lopetegui last summer and an announcement is due on parting company with their overhyped technical director, Tim Steidten, who played a sorry part in creating a squad lacking in depth and pace.
With Niclas Füllkrug and Michail Antonio unavailable the recruitment team have been looking hard for a new striker. Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville have also been out, depriving Potter of attacking options, but West Ham are yet to make a signing. Potter, who is eyeing Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, has had to be tactically creative.
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It suits him. Potter has revived Lucas Paquetá by deploying him as a false nine. He dug out a win against Fulham and earned a creditable draw at Villa last weekend. West Ham played with more coherence. Emerson Palmieri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka did well as wing-backs, Edson Álvarez had one of his better games, Tomas Soucek remains reliable and Potter has earned credit by using academy players such as the left-back Ollie Scarles and the midfielder Lewis Orford.
This is calm management. Potter is not the type to push a club for signings, arguing that it leads to panic-driven decisions. He does not want West Ham to buy for the sake of it. “Signing a player is easy,” he says. “But the right one for the right price who fits how you want to play and fits into the group? That’s the difficult thing.”
It is a reminder of Potter’s emotional intelligence. At the same time there is inner steel. Potter is not the type to think about revenge but he goes back to Chelsea with a point to prove.
