Graham Potter in line for unbelievable move to Euro giants after Chelsea sack, as three-man shortlist drawn up
Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter
Former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter could secure an impressive move next, as he is reportedly on the radar of Napoli amid their search for a new head coach.
Napoli enjoyed a brilliant campaign in 2022-23, winning their first Serie A title in 33 years under the management of Luciano Spalletti, while also reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The likes of Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Kim Min-jae wrote themselves into Napoli folklore by helping the club clinch their first Scudetto since the Diego Maradona era.
While Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis held firm and managed to keep Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia, both Spalletti and Kim departed. Kim signed for Bayern, snubbing Manchester United in the process, while Spalletti left to take a break from coaching.
On June 15, De Laurentiis brought in former Roma, Marseille and Lyon boss Rudi Garcia to take over from Spalletti. But Garcia has not been able to continue his predecessor’s great work, as Napoli have won only four of their eight league matches so far, leaving them in fifth spot.
In the Champions League, Napoli have beaten Braga but also lost to Real Madrid, putting them second in Group C.
According to the Daily Mail, who cite reports emerging from Italy, Garcia is under threat of being sacked by De Laurentiis. The club chief wants his team to be challenging the likes of Milan, Inter and Juventus for a second Italian title in a row.
As such, the Napoli hierarchy have drawn up a three-man list of potential replacements for Garcia. Surprisingly, Potter features on it.
A switch to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium would be fantastic for Potter after he struggled to make big-spending Chelsea challenge the elite clubs in the Premier League.
Graham Potter wanted by Napoli – reports
Potter is not the only manager Napoli are considering. Also on their list are ex-Marseille coach Igor Tudor and Argentine Marcelo Gallardo, who was most recently in charge of River Plate.
Potter recently emerged as a candidate for the Rangers job, but insider Fraser Fletcher soon explained to TEAMtalk why that move was unlikely to happen.
It would be intriguing to see how Potter would get on in Italy, should he be offered the Napoli hot seat and opt to take it. The Englishman excelled at Brighton, helping them to establish themselves in the Premier League as well as play some of the most exciting football in the division.
But Potter swapped Brighton for Chelsea in September 2022, and that is when things started to go downhill. Potter struggled to deal with the pressure of the job, as Chelsea had spent huge sums of money to create a squad filled with young, hungry players. Ultimately, the 48-year-old was sacked in April, with Chelsea going on to land Mauricio Pochettino as his successor over the summer.
While Potter did not live up to expectations at Chelsea, the fact he is even being mentioned as Napoli’s potential next manager shows he still has admirers in the game. Club chiefs have clearly not forgotten the great work he did at Brighton.
That being said, it would still be a surprise to see him take over from Garcia in Naples.
