"A really honest group, a really responsible group" – Graham Potter offers his first impression of 'positive' Chelsea squad
New Chelsea manager Graham Potter has expressed his elation on receiving positive response from the squad, hailing the group of players for their honesty and responsibility.
Potter was appointed the new Chelsea boss after Thomas Tuchel was sacked last week following the UEFA Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb. After the Blues triggered Potter's £15 million release clause, the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager penned a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge on September 8.
A shrewd tactician with his own footballing philosophy, Potter was set to make his dugout debut for the west London outfit on Saturday in the Premier League against Fulham. However, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's unfortunate demise forced the weekend's games to be postponed.
Ready for work! https://t.co/eFseIi6JEl
At a pre-match press conference, Potter heaped praise on his new group of players and talked about how he aims to carve out a unique identity at his new club. He said (via Football London):
"The response has been really positive. A really honest group, a really responsible group. They've been positive around the training ground. They want to achieve and do well. I am happy with the team and the squad."
He continued:
"I promise I'll do my very best every single day. The team I'd like to see is balanced between attack and defence. We want a humble team that fights. We want our own identity and that supporters can see what we're going to do."
Shedding more light on his role, Potter added:
"I am a head coach and my job is to help the football club. I've always taken that approach. In Sweden, I had the chance to build a football club and that became clear that the club was the most important thing. My main job is to help the guys here, help the players that are here, and put out a team on the pitch that the supporters are proud of."
Out on the grass at Cobham! https://t.co/CLSrNUIlpm
Potter's first game in charge of Chelsea is scheduled to be against Matthias Jaissle's RB Salzburg at Stamford Bridge in their second UEFA Champions League Group E fixture on Wednesday (September 14).
Shaun Wright-Phillips backs new manager Graham Potter to shine at Chelsea
Speaking on Fair Betting Sites, former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips offered a glowing assessment of Graham Potter's pedigree for his work at his former club Brighton. He said:
"I honestly think he's a fantastic manager. What he's done in the Premier League, especially at Brighton with the funding that he's had and the players that he's had, he made those plays back."
He added:
"He's built a team there that out-pass a lot of teams in the Premier League with the budget of £250 million in the bank. If those elite players buy into the way he plays and his philosophy of football, it could be a scary thing and a great new thing for the Premier League."