Graham Potter signs new deal until 2025

Well, who saw this one coming? Graham Potter has been rewarded for his four Premier League wins as a manager with a brand new, five-year contract.

Potter and his backroom team Billy Reid, Bjorn Hamberg and Kyle Macaulay are all now committed to the Albion until the summer of 2025.

The foursome had signed four-year deals in the summer when they were brought in from Swansea City to replace Chris Hughton, Paul Trollope and Paul Nevin.

That took them through to 2023, meaning that they’ve effectively been given a two year extension for picking up 15 points out of a possible 39.

In the statement on the official club website, Tony Bloom talks about his vision for turning the Albion into a top 10 club and how Potter’s new contract is a show of faith in the head coach to be the man who takes us there.

But even so, Potter surely could have done that with the four-year deal he signed six months ago?

While Potter’s positive, attacking football has been embraced by Albion fans, we’re on exactly the same number of points that Hughton had us on after 13 games last season. We’re one point worse off than at the same stage of the 2017-18 campaign.

That suggests that although playing style and performances have obviously improved, results haven’t.

Of course, there is a very strong argument that we should have plenty more points on the board than we currently do – we’ve dropped points against West Ham United, Southampton, Burnley and Aston Villa for a whole host of reasons – but in the cut throat world of the Premier League, managers are judged on results, not what-might-have-beens.

Which makes the decision to hand Potter a new deal at this juncture a strange one. When he was given the job, the general consensus was not nobody should judge until at least Christmas – for better or worse as the vicar might say.

The Albion though have cast judgement early, deciding that Potter has been and is going to be a success. It strikes us as being a bit of a gamble, especially if the new manager magic that most bosses bring with them wears off and we again find ourselves in a desperate battle against relegation. Should the worst happen and we find ourselves needing to pay Potter off, giving him two more years after only four wins is going to end up looking very silly.

Unless of course there is an ulterior reason behind Potter’s contract extension – it’s to keep him at the Albion in the face of interest from a rival club.

Everton would seem the most likely suitors, given that they were said to be on the verge of parting company with Marco Silva last weekend.

Rumours swirled on Sunday night that Silva had already received his P45. Now, Everton appear to have done an about turn and confirmed that he’ll be in charge of the Toffees this weekend.

Had they put out the feelers about a possible approach for Potter, with Bloom’s reaction being to hand his man a new five-and-a-half year deal to ward off the interest for Goodison Park? As a result, Silva remains at the helm for at least another week?

Other possibilities include West Ham United who are struggling under Manuel Pelligrini and Arsenal where Unai Emery appears to be living on borrowed time. Potter’s attacking philosophy would no doubt appeal to both clubs.

If Potter is a wanted man, then the new contract suddenly makes sense. And if that is the case and he’s already being headhunted by bigger and more established Premier League clubs, then it’s further vindication of Bloom’s decision to sack Hughton in favour of a new approach.