Graham Potter is highly regarded as one of the biggest upcoming coaches in the country, transforming Brighton & Hove Albion into an expansive outfit that is performing consistently in the Premier League. After a playing career spanning over 13 years in England, the Seagulls’ head coach hasn’t taken the most conventional route into coaching in The Premier League…

From Sweden to the south coast, Potter has received admiration from many, including none other than Pep Guardiola. We take a look at his pathway into coaching that has brought him to the greatest league in the world.

1992-2005: Playing Career

Potter’s playing career began at Birmingham City, which included a loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers. The former left-back then moved on to Stoke City where he spent 3 years at the club, before moving to the Premier League with Southampton. Potter was involved in the Saint’s infamous 6-3 win over Manchester United in 1996.

Loan spells at Northampton Town and Reading followed before signing to York City. Potter then spent time at Boston United, Shrewsbury Town (Loan) before finishing his career at Macclesfield Town.

2005-2010: Education & Futher Roles

Potter graduated from the Open University in 2005 with a degree in social sciences, with support and guidance from the Professional Footballer’s Association (PFA). He then went on to work at the University of Hull as their football development manager while taking a role as Ghana’s technical director for the 2007 Women’s World Cup.

Coaching opportunities began at university level, firstly as the assistant coach for England’s University squad, then a similar role at Leeds Metropolitan University. Potter completed a Master’s Degree in leadership and emotional intelligence during his time at Leeds.

2011-2018: Östersunds

In 2011, Potter started his managerial career in not the most conventional way for a British coach. He signed a deal with Swedish club Östersunds, who were playing in the fourth tier of Swedish football at the time. After a pre-season friendly with Swansea, Potter was recommended for the job by Swansea’s assistant and friend Graeme Jones to Östersunds Chairman Daniel Kindberg.

Potter’s aim was to turn a club that were still hurting after being relegated to the fourth tier, into a club where players enjoy playing and fans enjoy watching. He quickly achieved success, guided them to 2 successive promotions in his first 2 seasons in Scandanavia.

Potter signed on for another 3 years after the second promotion, and in October 2015, Östersunds secured promotion to the Allsvenskan (the top-flight league in Sweden) for the first time in their history.

Potter’s side were being lauded for their positive playing style and their ability to compete with a small budget compared to the rest of the teams in the league. In their debut season in the top-flight, Östersunds finished the season in 8^th place.

April 2017 brought silverware to Östersunds, with Potter guiding the club to the Svenska Cupen, the main cup competition in the country. This secured them a position in the Europa League qualifying rounds for the 2017-18 season.

Galatasary, Fola Esch, and PAOK were defeated in qualifying rounds to reach the group stage of the Europa League, a historic feat for the club. A 2_^nd placed group stage finish was achieved, which brought a tie against English powerhouse Arsenal in the last-32, which is where people started to recognise the magnificent job Englishman Potter has done in Sweden.

The 1^st leg saw Potter’s side lose 3-0 to the Gunners, putting Arsenal in a strong position for the 2^nd leg back at the Emirates. In what seemed to be a routine progression into the last-16, Potter’s side gave Arsenal a big scare early on. 2 goals within 2 minutes of each other put the Swedish club ahead inside 23 minutes and brought the deficit down to 1 goal. Although Arsenal went on to win the tie 4-2, Östersunds beat Wenger’s Arsenal at the Emirates and people began to take notice of the work Potter is doing.

2018-2019: Swansea City

Potter took the opportunity to manage in the UK and accepted the offer as Swansea City manager in 2018. His philosophy and style of play was a key factor for the Swansea board and saw him as the right man to get the Championship club back in the Premier League at the first attempt.

Swansea finished the season strongly but an inconsistent season saw them miss out on the play-offs, finishing the league campaign in 10^th place. Potter’s Swansea reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup where they hosted Manchester City. They lead the Premier League champions 2-0 after 30 minutes but eventually lost the game after a City comeback.

2019-Present: Brighton & Hove Albion

After interest early on from Brighton, Potter signed a three-year deal to become manager of the club for the start of the 2019-20 Premier League season. Brighton had enjoyed 2 years in the Premier League under Chris Hughton, where the aim was to avoid relegation. Potter was brought in to get the club to ‘kick-on’ and change the playing style of the Seagulls.

His first season saw the club reach their highest points tally in the Premier League (41) while achieving the highest number of goals (39). The club finished 15th, their joint-highest place with their first season in the Premier League.

Despite finishing a place lower the following season, Potter’s Brighton finished on 41 points for the second consecutive season, while setting new records for goals scored (40), goals conceded (46), goal difference (-6), and clean sheets (12).

Potter has since reached 100 games in the Premier League as Brighton manager and the club has started the 2021-22 season strong, consistently staying in the top half of the table.

His Story

Potter’s desire to succeed as a coach in football is shown with the decisions he has made in his career. He was keen even his playing days to further enhance his knowledge of the game which set him up for his experiences in education once his playing career came to an end.

Opportunities to manage in England were at a minimum back in 2011, but the decision to move to Sweden was not as easy as it sounds. The life-changing decision brought him success early on and eventually opened doors for him that weren’t there before.

After links with many top clubs including Manchester United, while still showing progression with Brighton, that is still plenty more chapters in the Graham Potter story.

In October 2017, England came out as winners of the FIFA U17 World Cup for the first time in the countries history, beating Spain 5-2 in the final in Kolkata, India. The triumph meant that England had won their 2^nd World Cup of the year after also winning the U20 World Cup in the summer.

It produced great optimism for the future to be able to replicate the success at senior level, something that the country has been waiting for for over 50 years. 2 competitions have passed since the success back in 2017, reaching the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time since 1990, and reaching the Final of the European Championships, the first final England has reached in a major competition since a certain World Cup in 1966.

Over 4 years have passed since the U17 triumph, we take a look at the winning squad and their career path since grabbing their World Cup-winning medal.

1. Curtis Anderson – Goalkeeper

Goalkeeper Curtis Anderson was a Manchester City scholar at the time. He left the club after his scholarship and moved to America and signed for Charlotte Independence. Anderson returned to England and signed for Wycombe Wanderers. After loan spells at Walton Casuals and Eastbourne Borough, he signed for Lancaster City on deadline day in the 2022 January transfer window.

2. TJ Eyoma – Defender

Timothy Joel “TJ” Eyoma joined Tottenham’s academy in 2015. The defender signed a pro deal with Spurs a year after the World Cup and made his 1^st Team debut in January 2019 as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup.

Eyoma joined Lincoln City on loan in January 2020, however didn’t feature after the league was cut short. He joined the Imps on loan the following season and signed a new deal with Tottenham. After a successful loan, he then signed for the club on a permanent deal where he has featured often in the league.

3. Lewis Gibson – Defender

Gibson came through the academy at Newcastle before signing for Everton in July 2017. After spending 2 seasons in the U23s, Gibson joined Fleetwood on loan in January 2020. He joined Reading on loan at the start of the 2020-21 season playing 13 games in the Championship. Gibson joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan, however, an injury meant he returned to Everton and would unlikely come back to Wednesday.

4. George McEachran – Midfielder

Along with his brother Josh, George is a product of the Chelsea academy, joining the club at 8-years old. He has spent the majority of his career in Chelsea’s academy sides, winning the FA Youth Cup in 2017 and 2018.

After being an unused sub in the club’s Europa League triumph in 2019, McEachran spent a brief spell on loan in the Dutch 2^nd division with SC Cambuur. He stayed in Holland the following season with MVV Maastricht on loan.

5. Marc Guehi – Defender

Guehi is another Chelsea academy graduate, signing a pro deal a month prior to the U17 World Cup. He helped the youth team win a quadruple of titles while also reaching the final of the UEFA Youth League. Guehi made his senior debut in September 2019 by Frank Lampard in the EFL Cup against Grimsby Town.

He joined Swansea City on loan in January 2020, working under Steve Cooper, manager of the U17 World Cup-winning team. Guehi rejoined the club for a further year on loan, reaching the play-offs in both of his seasons at the Swans.

Guehi signed a 5-year deal with Crystal Palace for a reported fee of £18 million which would make him the Palace’s 3rd most expensive signing of all time.

6. Jonathan Panzo – Defender

Panzo joined Chelsea at the age of 9 and signed a scholarship with the club. He made the decision to move to France and sign for Monaco, where he made 22 appearances for the club’s Second team in the Fourth Tier. He signed for Cercle Brugge on loan for a season before moving to Djon on a permanent deal in 2020.

Panzo returned to England and like Guehi, decided to reunite with Steve Cooper and sign for Nottingham Forest permanently on deadline day in January 2022.

7. Phil Foden – Midfielder

Manchester City’s Phil Foden was deemed to be the starboy of the England U17 side, catching attention by scoring 2 goals in the Final and being named the player of the competition. With many saying he needs to leave on loan and play games, Foden stayed at City to learn from Pep Guardiola and train with the likes of De Bruyne and David Sila.

He has since gone on to not only feature regularly but become a key player of the City squad. He now has 3 Premier League-winning medals and was voted the Premier League and PFA Young Player of the Season for the 2020-21 season.

Foden made his senior international debut in September 2020 against Iceland and was part of the Euro 2020 side that reached the Final.

8. Tashan Oakley-Boothe – Midfielder

Oakley-Boothe joined Tottenham in 2016 as a scholar and made his debut a month before the World Cup in September 2017 against Barnsley in the EFL Cup. He went on to feature regularly for the U23 before signing for Stoke City in 2020 where he found it tough to break into the side. Oakley-Boothe suffered a long-term back injury which he is currently recovering from.

9. Rhian Brewster – Forward

Brewster finished the World Cup as the competition’s top goalscorer winning the golden boot. He signed for Liverpool at 15 from Chelsea believing he had a better chance of reaching the first team. The Striker experienced the highs and lows football can bring, suffering a season-ending injury in a U23 game 3 months after winning the World Cup. He signed a 5-year deal in June 2018 and was an unused sub in the second leg of the Champions League Semi-final and the final. He eventually made his senior debut in September 2019.

Brewster signed for Swansea on loan for the remainder of the 2019-20 season (along with Guehi). He returned to Liverpool for pre-season for the following season before signing for Sheffield United for a reported fee of £23.5 million. He featured regularly in the Premier League but couldn’t help the Blades avoid relegation. He continues to play in the Championship.

10. Angel Gomes – Midfielder

Gomes started training in the Manchester United academy at the age of 6-years old. He played up in ages regularly, featuring for the U18s at age just 14. He made his senior debut aged 16 replacing Wayne Rooney on the final day of the 2016-2017 Premier League season, the youngest Manchester United player since Duncan Edwards in 1953.

Since the World Cup success, he struggled to break into United’s first team and signed for French Club Lille in August 2020. Gomes was immediately loaned out into Portugal with Boavista, playing 32 games with the club scoring 6 goals. He has since returned to Lille where he has featured often in Ligue 1.

11. Jadon Sancho – Midfielder

Sancho started the World Cup in fine form before being recalled by Borussia Dortmund. He took the decision to leave Manchester City and move to Germany in 2017, making 137 appearances for Dortmund.

The Winger was part of the Euro 2020 squad for the senior side, coming off the bench in the final before missing his spot-kick in the shoot-out. Sancho returned to Manchester and signed for United in 2021. Click here to read more on Jadon Sancho’s story.

12. Nya Kirby – Midfielder

Nya Kirby began at Tottenham’s academy before signing a scholarship at Crystal Palace. He featured regularly in their U23 side, and in January 2019, he signed for Blackpool on loan until the end of the season. Kirby made his senior debut in September 2020 in the EFL Cup against Bournemouth. He then signed on loan in January 2021 for Tranmere Rovers for the remainder of the season.

13. Josef Bursik – Goalkeeper

Bursik spent the majority of his youth career at AFC Wimbledon before signing for Stoke City in 2017. The goalkeeper spent time on loan at Hednesford Town and AFC Telford during the 2018-19 season and spent the following season on loan at Accrington Stanley, playing 23 games before the season was cut short.

Bursik made his Stoke debut in November 2020 and has played a handful of games for the Potters. He has also gradually made strides in the England setup and has been involved with the U21 side.

14. Callum Hudson-Odoi – Midfielder

Hudson-Odoi is another play to make great strides since the World Cup success and is now an important member of the Chelsea squad. He made his senior debut in January 2018 and his Premier League debut later that month.

Hudson-Odoi would stay in the first-team squad for the 2018-19 season and began to feature more regularly, winning the Europa League while doing so. After interest and bids from Bayern Munich, the Winger decided to stay with the Blues and has gone on to make over 100 senior appearances and claimed a Champions League winning medal in 2021.

15. Joel Latibeaudiere – Defender

Latibeaudiere signed for Manchester City as a 13-year old and was captain of the youth team, guiding them to the Premier League North title. He spent the 2019-20 season on loan at FC Twente.

In October 2020, the Centre-back signed a 3-year contract with Swansea City. He has gone on to feature regularly for the Swans in the Championship and featured for England U20.

16. Danny Loader – Forward

Danny Loader began at Wycombe Wanderers before joining his hometown club Reading as a 12-year old. He Striker signed a scholarship for the Royals in 2016 but quickly moved into the club’s U23 side. In August 2017, Loader made his senior debut at the age of 16 and signed a professional deal once turned 17. He became the youngest player for Reading to make 20 appearances for the club.

The summer of 2020 saw Loader move to Portugal and sign for FC Porto, joining the club’s B team. He made his debut for the 1st team in October 2020 and continues to try and break into the senior setup at Porto.

17. Emile Smith-Rowe – Midfielder

Smith-Rowe has kicked on massively since the World Cup despite not starting regularly during the tournament. The Arsenal youngster scored during the group stage and grabbed an assist in the semi-final win over Brazil.

Smith-Rowe made his Arsenal senior debut a year on from the World Cup in the Europa League, becoming the 1st player born in the 2000s to play for the Gunners. He started and scored in the following Europa League match.

The next season saw him move to Germany and sign for RB Leipzig on loan for a season, although injury issues prevented him from getting game time. The creative midfielder then moved to Championship-side Huddersfield the following season where his performances caught the attention of many.

He has gradually broke into the Arsenal first-team and has now become a key player for the club, His performances were rewarded with a senior England cap in November 2021 against Albania. Smith-Rowe then started the following game against San-Marino, scoring in a 10-0 win.

18. Steven Sessegnon – Defender

Like his twin brother Ryan, Steven worked his way through the Fulham academy. He made his senior debut for the club one month before the World Cup in an EFL Cup win. With a lack of first-team minutes for the club, Sessegnon signed a season-long loan with Bristol City, playing 16 minutes in the Championship in the 2020-21 season. He signed for Plymouth Argyle on loan on deadlines day in the January 2022 transfer window for the remainder of the season.

19. Morgan Gibbs-White – Midfielder

Gibbs-White joined the academy at Wolves at 8-years old and has worked his way through the system. He made his senior debut aged 16 in the FA Cup and his league debut a month later. He gradually got more game-time for the club and made 26 appearances in Wolve’s first season back in the Premier League.

He signed a new 3-year contract in August 2020 before joining Swansea on loan for the season. He was recalled early scored his first Premier League goal before the end of the season. He is currently on loan at Championship club Sheffield United.

20. Conor Gallagher – Midfielder

Another player whose career is progressing strongly, Gallagher came through the Chelsea youth system, living 10 minutes away from Cobham. In August 2019, he signed a 3-year contract and moved to Charlton Athletic on loan and later on in the season moved on loan to Swansea City. He finished the 2019-20 season with 45 appearances in the Championship.

Gallagher’s next step came in the Premier League and signed for West Brom on loan for the 2020-21 season, making 30 league appearances. This season could be deemed as his breakthrough season. The midfielder joined Crystal Palace for the season and has been in fine form, resulting in an international cap in November 2021. Many are now saying Gallagher is ready to regularly play for his boyhood club.

21. Billy Crellin – Goalkeeper

Billy Crellin made 1 group stage appearance in the World Cup. The goalkeeper came through the academy at Fleetwood Town and made 6 first-team appearances at the club. Crellin also had loan spells at F.C United of Manchester, Chorley, and then spent a season at Bolton Wanderers where he played 11 times in League 2.

Crellin then signed for Everton in January 2022 where he has joined their U23 squad.

Still More to Come

What each story tells us is that a group of players that achieved World Cup success all had different journeys that got them to represent their country but also have taken different pathways since the success in 2017.

Some have enjoyed a rapid rise, featuring for England at senior level and at major competitions. While others have continued to find their feet and are on the pathway to the top level, getting many senior appearances under their belt in various ways. Who knows where this group will be in a further 4 years.

Leeds United is one of the biggest clubs in the country and recently returned to England’s top-flight, where many regard them as “where they belong”. The Yorkshire club were promoted to the Premier League in 2020 after a 16-year absence.

In recent games, Marcelo Bielsa’s squad has been very depleted with key players out through injury and illness. Much has been mentioned with the average age of the Leeds United bench each game, with academy players stepping up for the weakened first team.

Awarded Category One status in 2020, the club has had a history of academy players developing and progressing to feature for the first team, as well as continuing their careers elsewhere. Leeds have won the FA Youth Cup in 1993 and 1997, and have recently won the U23 Professional Development League Division 2 in 2021.

We take a look at the graduates from the Leeds academy and where they are now and where they went and achieved in their careers.

Currently Academy Players in the First Team:

Kalvin Phillips

Kalvin Phillips is currently the poster boy for the Academy and a prime example of what can be achieved coming through the system. Nicknamed ‘The Yorkshire Pirlo’, he has been a key part of Leeds’ squad for the last few years and has been linked with many top clubs both in England and abroad.

Phillips has made over 200 appearances for Leeds and has gone on to represent England at senior level. He was a regular feature in the Three Lions run to the final of Euro 2020.

Jamie Shackleton

Shackleton has been a feature in the first team for the last few seasons and was handed his senior debut by Marcelo Bielsa in the second game of the 2018-19 season. He is a versatile player that can play in midfield and at right-back, with pace and technical ability to play in both positions.

The 22-year old has gone on to feature over 60 times for the first team and signed a four-year deal back in 2020 at the start of the Premier League season.

Pascal Struijk

Pascal Struijk signed for Leeds in 2018 after spending most of his youth career in Holland. With his contract running out at Ajax, Struijk joined the whites on trial before signing permanently. The Dutchman is a left-footed centre-back but has also been used as a holding midfielder by Bielsa.

He regularly featured in the U23 team that won the league in 2019. In December 2019, Struijk made his senior debut for Leeds and the following season saw him start in the first Premier League game of the season against Liverpool.

Joe Gelhardt

One of the latest academy graduates, Joe Gelhardt grabbed an opportunity handed to him after injuries to others created a pathway. The young striker spent the majority of his academy career at Wigan, signing for Leeds in August 2020 and spending a season in the U23s.

After making 19 appearances for Wigan, Gelhardt made his debut for Leeds in September 2021 and his Premier League debut a month later. The quick, energetic striker scored his first goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Other Academy Graduates

Sam Greenwood

Greenwood started his youth career at Sunderland before signing a scholarship at Arsenal. He joined Leeds in 2020 for a better pathway into first-team football and featured regularly for the U23s in the 2020-21 season. The striker made his first-team debut in January 2021 in the FA Cup. Greenwood made his Premier League debut against Arsenal in December 2021.

Charlie Cresswell

Charlie Cresswell has been at Leeds since the age of 10 and signed a professional contract in June 2019. The center-back has featured 4 times for the first team while also making his debut for England U21s in October 2020. Charlie’s dad Richard was also a former player and played 38 times for the whites.

Leo Hjelde

Like Gelhardt, Hjelde signed for the club after spending most of his youth career elsewhere. The defender spent time in his native Norway before signing for Celtic as a 15-year old. Hjelde joined Ross County on loan making 11 appearances, before signing for Leeds in August 2021 after not making a senior appearance for Celtic. He featured for the U23s regular then made his first-team debut in January 2022, starting alongside Cresswell in the FA Cup against West Ham.

Lewis Bate

Lewis Bate signed a professional contract for Leeds in July 2021 after being at Chelsea since he was 8-years old. The whites signed him for a reported fee of £1.5 million, where Bate saw an easier pathway for first-team opportunities. He made his first-team debut in the FA Cup in January 2022 and his Premier League debut the following week.

Notable Academy Graduates

In recent history, notable Leeds academy players include:

• James Milner: Scored on his senior debut, aged 16 years and 309 days. 61 England caps
• Aaron Lennon: Became the youngest player to play in the Premier League, aged 16 and 129 days. 21 England caps.
• Fabian Delph: Spent 8 years at the club from the age of 11 before joining Aston Villa. 20 England caps
• Jonathon Woodgate: Won the FA Youth Cup in 1997 before going on to make 142 senior appearances.
• Paul Robinson: Over 100 senior apperances for the club. 41 England caps

Leeds have had a history of players coming through the academy to either feature regularly for the club and/or go on to have successful careers at the top level. Leeds’ most successful team back in the 1960s/1970s also had many academy graduates in the team, including club legends Billy Bremner, Eddie Gray, and Jack Charlton (Leed’s highest appearance maker).

Bielsa has handed many debuts to academy players during his time at the club, so a pathway is clearly there to progress to the first team.