Graham has Pottered off – so who next as Brighton manager?
The Graham Potter era is over. There is little time to dwell on Potter or his seriously inflated bank balance after he walked out on the Albion for Chelsea. Attention now turns to who will be the next Brighton manager.
Tony Bloom is not likely to be short of candidates. As one of the best run clubs in the Premier League, the role of next Brighton manager will attract quality applicants from far and wide.
Long gone are the days when Dick Knight sacked Micky Adams in a Little Chef, Stockport County manager Jim Gannon was Knight’s first choice but said no, and the Albion ended up with Russell Slade almost by default because nobody else wanted the job.
That one worked out well in the end, but at the time it looked like the Seagulls were doomed to League Two. Something to ponder for all those proclaiming Potter leaving as the biggest disaster in Albion history.
Who might Bloom settle on to become the 36th manager of Brighton & Hove Albion? We take a look at 20 potential candidates to be the next Brighton manager.
Kjetil Knutsen
Who is he?
The 53-year-old manager of Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt. Knutsen took his first managerial post as long ago as 1995, leading fifth tier club TIL Hovding to two promotions in nine years.
He went onto manage Fyllingen/Fyllingsdalen and Åsane before coming to the attention of football purists outside Norway for his achievements since taking over Bodø/Glimt in 2018, earning him three Norwegian Coach of the Year awards.
Knutsen led the Yellow Horde to their first ever Eliteserien championship in 2020, losing just one match. Bodø/Glimt successfully defended the title in 2021, qualified for European football and beat Roma 6-1 to inflict on Jose Mourinho the heaviest defeat of his managerial career.
Pros
An outside-of-the-box appointment who has done great things with an unfashionable club in Scandanavia. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? He might as well grow a beard, change his name to Graham and be done with it. Offers easy pun potential if things go tits up by accidentally misspelling his surname to read Kuntsen.
Cons
Winning titles in a league which Ole Gunnar Solksjaer used to dominate makes it hard to judge if he is any good or not. Has no experience of English football, making him a far more risky appointment as next Brighton manager than others on the shortlist.
Brendan Rodgers
Who is he?
One of the of the most highly rated British coaches around until recently. Rodgers took Liverpool to within a Steven Gerrard slip of the Premier League title when the Reds weren’t actually that good.
He won two trebles at Celtic and then led Leicester to the brink of Champions League qualification on two occasions, as well as delivering a first FA Cup in the Foxes history.
A lack of investment on the playing side at the King Power means things have gone a bit stale and Leicester are currently bottom of the Premier League, most recently beaten 5-2 by Brighton in what turned out to be Potter’s final game at the helm.
Pros
Proven Premier League manager who has come closer than anyone to breaking the European Super League Elite Six’s monopoly on the top four with a smaller club and a modest budget.
Cons
His reputation has taken a bit of a knock with Leicester struggling since the Spring. Can Brighton afford to appoint him, being the ones to find out if he is in decline as a coach or simply in need of a new challenge?
Ange Postecoglou
Who is he?
Born in Greece, Postecglou moved to Australia when he was five and went onto have a long and distinguished playing and management career Down Under until a famous on-air argument with pundit Craig Foster on The World Game.
Foster had called on Postecglou to quit as Socceroos Under 20s boss. Postecglou launched into a quite incredible rant in reply, which he claims made him almost unemployable in Australia.
Postecglou moved back to Greece, rebuilt his reputation and returned to Australia with Melbourne Victory. He took the Australia national team job in 2013, went to the World Cup in 2014 and then won the first Asian Cup in Socceroos history in 2017.
Following three years in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos, Postecglou was appointed Celtic boss last summer. In his first season at Celtic Park, the Hoops won the Scottish Pub League title and the League Cup.
Pros
If that argument with Foster is anything to go by, then his post-match interviews will be Mark McGhee levels of entertainment. Has the belly of a man who has enjoyed one too many shrimps on the barbie, which instantly endears him to all of us with a gut.
Cons
Like Knutsen, no English football experience. Doing well in Scotland is no guarantee of Premier League success. Just ask Aston Villa fans what they think of Steven Gerrard.
Steve Cooper
Who is he?
Cooper succeeded Potter as Swansea City boss in the summer of 2019 having won the Under 17s World Cup with England in 2017. He actually did better than Potter in his two seasons at the Liberty Stadium, taking the Swans into the Championship playoffs in both years.
He left Swansea after defeat to Brentford in the playoff final of 2021. Cooper then replaced Chris Hughton at Nottingham Forest in September with the Tricky Trees bottom of the table.
Forest rose all the way to the top six under his management, culminating in victory over Huddersfield Town in another playoff final to bring Premier League football back to the City Ground for the first time in 23 years.
Pros
Looks to be a perfect fit for Brighton, having coached in the England youth setup during Dan Ashworth’s time at the FA and exceeding what Potter did at Swansea.
Cons
Forest have signed enough players to populate a medium-sized village this summer. Is he likely to walk away after being backed so heavily in the transfer market? His signature looks very difficult to obtain.
Thomas Frank
Who is he?
The man who brought Premier League football to Brentford and kept the Bees in the top flight last season. The current campaign is not going too badly either, Brentford having dished out a 4-0 hammering of Manchester United and torn 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United apart when beating the Peacocks 5-2.
Frank’s teams play a style of football similar to Brighton and he is fully accustomed to working at a club where recruitment is driven by data more than anything else.
His reputation is growing by the month and he was considered an outsider for the Chelsea job before the Blues waved a big wad of cash under Potter’s nose.
Pros
Brentford are the closest club to Brighton in terms of operations in the country. If Frank can thrive there, then he should be able to walk into the Amex and hit the ground running from day one.
Cons
There is more chance of me taking Scarlett Johansson for a steak dinner than there is of Matthew Benham allowing his manager to move to a club owned by Tony Bloom.
Nathan Jones
Who is he?
Here he is, Jonesy, just seen it mate. As a player, he made over 150 appearances for Brighton and won three promotions between 2000 and 2005.
Jones returned to the club in the summer of 2013 as assistant to Oscar Garcia and then Sami Hyypia. He won four points from two games as caretaker manager following Hyypia’s sacking and then became first team coach under Hughton.
He left the Amex in 2016 to take over Luton Town, winning promotion from League Two and then moving to Stoke City with the Hatters top of League One.
After a troubled spell in the Potteries, Jones returned to Luton to keep them in the Championship and then took them into the playoffs last season despite having a budget that was the smallest in the division by quite some distance.
Pros
Knows everything there is to know about the Albion having been a player and coach at the club. His appointment would give us an excuse to whip out the Micky Adams post-match interview from Yeovil away in 2008 on a more regular basis. You’ve gone down clutching your face, he’s not even touched your face man.
Cons
Luton’s success is based on a very different style of play to how Potter set up Brighton. Would Jones be compatible with the current Albion squad? His time at Stoke also raises question marks about whether he can thrive away from Kenilworth Road.
Boris Johnson
Who is he?
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has previously shown an aptitude for football with appearances in charity football matches. Finds himself with a lot of spare time on his hands at the moment after being kicked out of office by his own political party for, well, being a bit shit.
Pros
Free agent following his sacking as head coach of the Conservatives, so Brighton would not need to pay any compensation to secure his services. Cheese and better wine becoming available on the concourses of the Amex like at those illegal parties he held at Downing Street during lockdown would be a popular move with fans fed up with a warm glass of white from A Day at the Vineyards.
Cons
His track record of hiding in a fridge when things get tough would not help if Brighton were to find themselves in a relegation battle. Not a fan of Europe, which is ultimately where we want to end up in a few years.
Mauricio Pochettino
Who is he?
Led Tottenham to their first Champions League final in 2019 and closer to the league title than any boss for 50 years when challenging eventual champions Leicester in 2016.
Took over Paris Saint Germain following his controversial sacking from Spurs, winning Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France last season before departing Parc des Princes in the summer.
He is known for playing an aggressive pressing style and passing football which is built from the back. That would appear to make him a good fit for the Albion.
Pros
Appointing Pochettino as their next manager would a serious sign of intent from Brighton that would make the football world sit up and take notice. His approach would suit the current Albion squad.
Cons
He would not come cheap. Having just managed Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé to a league title whilst living in Paris, would his heart really be in deciding from an office in Lancing whether Aaron Connolly should stay in Italy or if Jason Steele deserves a new contract to sit on the bench?
Russell Martin
Who is he?
The current head coach of Swansea City having succeeded Cooper last summer. Can you see the theme here? Martin is Brighton-born and did an impressive job in his first managerial role at MK Dons, earning rave reviews for the football his side played.
That included a British-record 56 pass move to score against Gillingham in March 2021. At the end of the 2020–21 season, only Manchester City and Barcelona had a higher average possession percentage in Europe than the Dons.
Those achievements had him high on Bloom’s list of targets for next Brighton manager prior to his move to Swansea.
Whether the Albion retain that interest remains to be seen; although the Swans completed a league double over Cardiff last season for the first time ever, it was a challenging campaign in which they finished in 15th spot.
Pros
A tactically flexible manager like Potter who favours a possession-based, passing style. Brighton are known to have been keen on him for some time, so they will have done thorough research into his suitability as next Albion manager. He is a Green Party member and vegan according to Wikipedia, so will be right at home in Brighton & Hove.
Cons
Probably needs to do more at Championship level to prove himself worthy of a crack at the Premier League having not set the world alight at Swansea so far.
Felice Mazzu
Who is he?
Bloom is no strange to Mazzu and that probably explains why the current coach of Anderlecht is being touted as a possible next Brighton manager.
Mazzu was the man who took Union Saint-Gilloise into the Jupiler League in 2021 and then led them to a first place finish a year later.
The madcap Belgian playoff system meant Union ended the season with no silverware, but even to make the qualification round of the Champions League was a stunning achievement for an outfit who had been absent from the Belgian top flight for over half a century.
As well as Union, Mazzu has managed RCS Brainois, Leopold Uccle-Woluwe, Tubize, White Star Woluwe, Charleroi and Genk. He was headhunted by Anderlecht this summer, leaving Union to replace the Burnley-bound Vincent Kompany.
Pros
Bloom has employed him before with great success. Mazzu also has previous working with Deniz Undav, Kaoru Mitoma and Kascper Kozlowski during their time in Brussels.
Cons
No experience of English football. Might be difficult to prise from Anderlecht, seeing as they invested considerable efforts in poaching him from Union and he has only been there a matter of months.
Scott Parker
Who is he?
Former England international midfielder who has held two managerial jobs. Pakrer led Fulham to Championship promotion via the playoffs in 2019-20 but they were relegated a year later.
After leaving Craven Cottage, he went to Plucky Little Bournemouth and took them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Was recently sacked following a 9-0 defeat at Liverpool, after which he questioned the club’s owners lack of support in the transfer market.
Pros
Has a proven track record of getting clubs with big budgets who would expect to be promoted out of the Championship. Not sure how much use that is to the Albion though.
Cons
Relegated with Fulham. Would probably have been relegated with Bournemouth. Appointing him would be to take a risk that he is good enough to manage in the Premier League when the evidence so far suggests otherwise.
Gus Poyet
Who is he?
Gus Poyet is the fiery Uruguayan who delivered probably the most enjoyable season in Brighton history when his Albion romped to the League One title in 2010-11 playing out-of-this-world football.
He then took the Seagulls into the Championship playoffs in 2013, losing at the semi final stage to Crystal Palace. Sacked in the aftermath, he has since gone onto manage Sunderland, AEK Athens, Real Betis, Shanghai Shenhua, Bordeaux and Universidad Catolica.
At some point this year, he was appointed Greece manager. This went massively under the radar based on the number of Albion fans who have Googled Gus following Potter’s departure, tweeting afterwards “I didn’t know Poyet was Greece manager!”
Pros
Knows the Albion from his successful three-and-a-half year spell at the club. There would never be a dull moment with him back at the helm and it might mean Mauricio Taricco coming out of retirement for the 74th team to solve a left back crisis.
Cons
Bloom and Paul Barber have spent the past decade pretending Poyet does not exist and that he never managed the Albion.
Anne of Cleeves
Who is she?
Anne was the fourth wife of Henry VIII. Born in Germany, Henry married her in an attempt to form a Protestant alliance with her brother, William, who Henry wanted to come to his aid in the event of an attack by the Catholics of Spain or the Holy Roman Empire.
Her marriage to Henry was declared unconsummated after six months and annulled. Rather than having her killed, Henry gave Anne a generous settlement and she outlived the King and his five other wives.
Pros
Familiar with Sussex as she had a house in Lewes gifted to her by Henry. Good at keeping her head under pressure, unlike Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
Cons
Has been dead for over 450 years.
Adam Lallana
Who is he?
Experienced former England international midfielder who won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool before signing on a free transfer for Brighton in 2020.
A lot of eyebrows were raised when Brighton gave Lallana a three year contract in his 30s and with such a questionable injury record.
They were not just signing him for his ability on the pitch, however. Lallana has long been touted as ideal management material with the Albion bringing him to the Amex with a view to what he will offer on the coaching side when he retires.
Effectively, Brighton see him as potentially becoming their head coach further down the line. He will get his first taste of life in the dugout helping out Andrew Crofts, who has been placed in interim charge following Potter’s departure.
Pros
His intelligence, leadership skills, experience and mindset point to him being a great manager in the future. No lesser judge than Jurgen Klopp is on record saying that.
Cons
Zero coaching experience. The job of next Brighton manager has surely come up too early on this occasion.
Andre Villas-Boas
Who is he?
Villas-Boas burst onto the scene as a young manager leading Porto to an unbeaten league season. He was headhunted by Chelsea but was never given the time needed to implement his ideas at Stamford Bridge (FAO Graham Potter) and went onto manage Tottenham for 18 months.
He won 72 points at White Hart Lane in the 2012-13 season, the most of any Spurs manager in the Premier League up to the point. When he was sacked, Villa-Boas had the highest win percentage of any Tottenham boss since Sky Sports invented football in 1992.
A trophy-laden spell at Zenit Saint Petersburg followed, since when Villas-Boas has worked at Shanghai SIPG and Marseille, whom he left in 2021 after a disagreement over transfer policy.
Pros
Like Pochettino, Villas-Boas would be a big name appointment. His CV shows that he knows how to win things. He would be the most handsome Brighton manager since Oscar Garcia.
Cons
Not afraid to criticise a club’s board if things aren’t going his way. Bloom would not want that sort of character, as shown by the appointments he has gone for since Poyet was sacked.
Rita Ora
Who is she?
Pop star who became the first female artist to have 13 top 10 songs in the United Kingdom. A reality TV specialist, she has been a judge on The Voice, The X Factor, America’s Next Top Model and The Masked Singer.
Born in Kosovo, Ora and her family came to the UK in 1991 when she was a baby because of the persecution of Albanians initiated with the disintegration of Yugoslavia.
She speaks fluent Albanian. Before the Euro 2020 final, she posted a photo on her Instagram account sat in a chair naked with just an England football shirt covering herself as inspiration for the Three Lions.
Pros
If Ora were to deliver team talks completely naked with just a Brighton shirt covering herself as inspiration for the Seagulls, the Albion would never lose another game.
Cons
She has never shown much interest in football. Other than that Euro 2020 moment.
Sean Dyche
Who is he?
The gravel-voiced former Burnley manager who did a fantastic job in his decade in charge at Turf Moor. Under Dyche, Burnley won two promotions to the Premier League, finishing seventh in the 2017-18 campaign to qualify for the Europa League.
He was controversially sacked towards the end of last season with the Clarets fighting a relegation battle. Has since taken time away from the game to refresh. When he decides he is ready to return, he is sure to be in demand for his overachievements at Burnley.
Pros
Proven at Premier League level. Looks like Stone Cold Steve Austin. Brighton always struggle to beat teams he manages, so if the Albion were to appoint him as their next manager it would at least eliminate that problem.
Cons
The type of players he worked with at Burnley and the style of football he adopted would not appear a good fit for this Brighton squad. Hard to see someone like Leandro Trossard being transformed into a shithouse like Ashley Barnes.
Sarina Wiegman
Who is she?
Manager of the England Womens team who ended 66 years of hurt in the summer by winning the European Championships for the Lionesses after less than a year in charge.
Before taking over England, Wiegman won Euro 2017 with her home nation the Netherlands. Whilst Netherlands boss, she was appointed interim assistant to Ole Tobiasen at Sparta Rotterdam in 2016, making her the first female coach at a Dutch men’s professional club.
Pros
Has a 100 percent record managing at the Amex, winning two games from two. 10 goals were scored and just one conceded. Compare that to Potter, who once set a club record of no home win in 14.
Cons
Wiegman will have her eyes set on further international glory at this summer’s World Cup in Australia & New Zealand. Already guaranteed legendary status in English football, she would become an immortal if the Lionesses were to become World and European champions at the same time.
Domenico Tedesco
Who is he?
Tedesco has only come on the market very recently following his sacking by Red Bull Leipzig. He won the DFB Pokal Cup for Leipzig in May but was fired on Tuesday following a 4–1 home Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk.
At 36-years-old, he is considered one of the brightest young coaches in German football. Tedesco was just 31 when he was appointed Schalke 04 manager, taking them to second place in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich in his first season.
He took over Spartak Moscow in October 2019 and was an immensely popular coach there. He secured runners up spot and Champions League football before deciding not to renew his contract, wanting instead to return to Germany to be closer with his family after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pros
A stereotypical modern-day German coach favouring high pressing and passing football. Presents a unique opportunity to appoint a highly rated young coach without having to be compensation for his services.
Cons
The last manager Brighton appointed from the Bundesliga was Hyypia.
Kevin Webster
Who is he?
Long standing resident of Weatherfield, near Manchester. Webster is a no-nonsense garage mechanic who likes an uncomplicated life and his tea on the table when he comes home from work.
He does not always get that uncomplicated life. There have been frequent problems with his on-off wife Sally, whilst Webster had to come to terms with fathering a son through an affair. Said son Jack then lost one leg as a child due to sepsis.
Webster has something of a temper. He was sentenced to 28 days in jail for beating up A Level teacher John Stape after Stape was discovered to be having an affair with Kevin’s daughter, Rosie.
He has in the past experienced the sort of luck you need to be a Premier League manager, most notably when winning £200,000 on a scratchcard.
Pros
Would get the best out of his son and current Brighton defender, Adam. Daughters Rosie and Sophie are both attractive, so the chance of seeing them at the Amex would be a bonus.
Cons
Hard to see how his skills as a mechanic could transfer to English top flight football, unless the team coach broke down on route to an away game.
