Potter joined West Ham refreshed and with his reputation intact, a highly regarded, measured individual who was in the Football Association’s post-Southgate calculations and who had also attracted the interest of Everton when they dismissed Sean Dyche.
He had risen steadily, a considered constructor of clubs and teams rather than a quick-fix problem solver that made him an ill fit for clubs as demanding – on and off the pitch – as Chelsea.
After waiting so long for what he believed was the right club for his managerial and coaching talents, Potter walked straight into a hole at West Ham.
He came to prominence at Ostersund in Sweden before being appointed manager of Swansea in June 2018, and his development and attractive playing style earned him a move to Brighton a year later.
Brighton was the perfect platform for Potter, home to patience and planning under owner Tony Bloom alongside technical director Dan Ashworth, with a smart recruitment team that uncovered gems such as midfielders Moises Caicedo and Alex Mac Allister.
Potter was at his best on the training ground, leading Brighton to ninth in the Premier League the season before he left, leaving them to join Chelsea when the Seagulls were fourth after winning four of their first six games, including an opening-weekend win at Manchester United.
He can point to leading Chelsea into the last eight of the Champions League while at Stamford Bridge, but – as at West Ham – Potter seemed at times to be overwhelmed by events before being consumed by a ruthless sacking.
Potter’s downfall has come from joining two clubs with polar opposite approaches to Brighton, where Bloom never lost faith even after an early run of only two wins in 19 games. Potter had the trust and faith of the hierarchy in a manner which has never been replicated since.
Former England defender Martin Keown told the BBC: “Potter was at Chelsea not so long ago. He could have been an England manager.
“Now you look at his career and his win percentage at Chelsea and West Ham. His next job now in the Premier League, if he gets one, is really very important for him.”
Potter has not actually dealt in high win percentages throughout his Premier League career.
In 120 games at Brighton he won 34 and lost 42, with a 28% winning ratio. At Chelsea it was 32%, with seven wins, while at West Ham he won six games or 26%.
Potter’s strength as a coach was always organisation and tactical discipline, yet he even looked lost in this context at West Ham, especially at set-pieces.
Keown said: “I watched them play Spurs a couple of weeks ago and you saw the set-pieces.
“They have conceded seven goals from set-pieces this season. It looked like a set of schoolboys out there – no real direction. Eventually that has to come back to the manager.”
The usually calm Potter exterior was replaced by a personality who looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders as a second high-profile Premier League failure unfolded.
Where Potter goes next is purely guesswork.
The continent may call, where he could find a set-up that suits him, but the notion of a big Premier League post is fanciful in the extreme.
Potter’s ending at West Ham caps a spectacular fall from grace from the territory where he was once a live contender in the conversation of those with the qualities befitting an England manager.
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