Why £21m for Graham Potter is a BARGAIN for Chelsea
James Shearman
- Updated: 8 Sept 2022 17:58 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have appointed Graham Potter from Brighton as their new head coach on a five-year deal, replacing the sacked Thomas Tuchel.
The Blues spent a record €296 million on new players such as Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer, but results have not followed.
They have lost three of their last five games in all competitions and could only muster three shots on goal in Tuesday night's 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League - Tuchel's last game in charge.
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Potter was quickly identified as the club's top target by owner Todd Boehly, beating the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane to the helm.
Speaking on the club's website after being appointed, Potter said: ''I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea FC, this fantastic football club.
"I am very excited to partner with Chelsea’s new ownership group and look forward to meeting and working with the exciting group of players and to develop a team and culture that our amazing fans can be proud of.''
Why £21m for Graham Potter is a BARGAIN for Chelsea
Chelsea have had to shell out a massive fee for Potter, with the Seagulls boss and his backroom staff reportedly costing around £21 million in compensation.
That outlay represents the joint-highest fee for a manager in football history, alongside Bayern Munich’s £21m hiring of Julian Nagelsmann in 2021.
That seems outrageous for a non-playing staff member, but in reality it makes an awful lot of sense.
Been told compensation figure to @OfficialBHAFC for Graham Potter and staff is £21m +. Chelsea have invested a lot in the Brighton model this summer.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) September 8, 2022
Top European clubs such as Chelsea will often spend close to £100m on defenders, evidenced by Wesley Fofana's £80m move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
And while Fofana is an excellent player, as are the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt, an individual defender is clearly not as important to a club's success as a manager and his backroom staff.
If anything, the right manager should cost more than a player, so Potter is a bargain for a quarter of the price paid for Fofana.
The 47-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable career to date and was the standout candidate for owner Todd Boehly's long-term vision for the club.
