Potter’s Albion are the team everyone is happy to watch
When Graham Potter took over the technical leadership of Brighton three years ago, no one could have imagined that the Seagulls would go so far as to be a factor in the league.
Because this is what they are doing this year, guided wonderfully by the English coach who has every right to look for a higher job but understandably finds it difficult to leave the Amex.
We go back in time and specifically to 2019. Then, Graham Potter decides to leave Swansea, with whom he had a great season, to take over a Premier League team.
Brighton is offering him a job impressed by Potter going to the quarter final phase of the FA Cup with Swansea. That, in essence, marked his ticket to the first tier of English football.
His arrival at Amex and his way of thinking convince the administrators of the team to give him the “keys” of the club and remake it in his vision. Potter came to an agreement to make big signings like Neal Maupay, Leandro Trossard, Tariq Lamptey and Adam Webster.
These are four players who to this day are the backbone of Brighton and a reason that the team has risen to their current level.
In the first season of Potter, the Seagulls prevailed over Arsenal in two cases and had a wide 3-0 win against Tottenham. For a club who aims to stay in the Premier League, these were impressive results which continued into the next season.
Brighton won a double over Liverpool at the Amex Stadium at at Anfield, did not lose at home to Chelsea and caused a terrible upset against Manchester City, despite the fact that they were behind with the score 2-0 to City at one point. It ended 3-2 to the Seagulls.
To understand the magnitude of this victory, consider that the Citizens have lost only twice in the league since then.
And we come to this season. Where Potter lures his team into expensive transfers, buying Marc Cucurella and Enock Meppu for a total of £38 million.
This could be afforded thanks to Ben White leaving for Arsenal, the most expensive sale that has ever taken place from the Amex at a cost of £50 million.
The beginning of the current season? Impressive! One defeat in nine matches and in the top five of the league until the end of September.
It would have been absurd if Brighton’s frantic course continued. The switch eventually came to falling when the Seagulls went almost 100 days without winning.
The club’s administrators had no doubt in their support for Graham Potter and he justified it. Brighton did not win, but at the same time they did not loose.
Eight draws in 11 matches were counted, including an impressive 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the same stadium they imposed themselves last year.
Those feats at Anfield were accompanied by two 1-1s against Chelsea. Brighton have developed a new favourite habit, staying behind the score before equalising from the 80th minute onwards.
This also happened at the King Power Stadium against Leicester City in Potter’s 110th match on the bench. That left the Seagulls with 30 points and in ninth place in the standings.
What does this mean? That Brighton are only six points away from the European competitions and their fans look upwards now rather than down.
Potter’s name is growing and other clubs want him. It was romantic that he did not leave for Newcastle or Everton, with his work at Brighton still to be finished.
At some point, Potter will move somewhere bigger. Until then, there seems no ceiling for this Brighton side as Potter writes his own story in a team that everyone is happy to watch.
Dimitris Manakos @dimitris_manakos
