"I feel in a really good place" - Graham Potter breaks silence amid reports of the FA targeting him for England job
Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter has not closed down suggestions that he could become the next England manager. Choosing to refrain from commenting about the post, Potter praised Gareth Southgate for his spell as the manager of the national side.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Potter felt it was not the right time to speculate about the England managerial position. He also shed light on his experience at Chelsea, saying:
"Today is not the day to speak about [the England job]. I'm proud of the job Gareth Southgate did. As an Englishman in football, I don't think there's anybody who has more respect than he has, how he conducted himself, him and his staff, qualifying for tournaments, going deep into tournaments, getting the country behind the team, he's done an amazing job..."
"I feel in a really good place, all the experiences I've had have made me a better person, a better coach. Good and bad. The Chelsea experience was a fantastic experience for me even though it didn't end how I wanted it to end. Now it's a case of onwards and upwards," he added.
Graham Potter was linked with the likes of Leicester City and Ajax among other clubs but has yet to take up a new job. The former Brighton & Hove Albion manager has been without a club since getting the sack at Chelsea in April 2023.
England urged to appoint Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola over Graham Potter by Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker, on The Rest If Football podcast, claimed that Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard would be ideal options for England manager spot if the FA were looking to appoint an Englishman. However, he believes they should be looking at Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola instead. On this, he said (via GOAL):
"I think he's [Southgate] been the right person to bring the nation together in terms of the football team. And, now, maybe it's time for someone else with a more modern, attacking style of football. Do you go English? There's only really Eddie Howe. Say Gareth does call it a day? I suspect he will, it must be so tough, demanding, so hard. If you go English, we mentioned, somebody maybe like [Frank] Lampard, who would get respect.
"But wouldn't you go all out for Jurgen Klopp? Klopp's been out of a job. He'll have had a bit of a rest. Club managers are paid an awful lot of money, I can't see the FA stumping up that sort of cash. I think we'd all love Pep [Guardiola] but do you realistically think we'd get him?"
Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino have also been linked with the England job.