Born in the market town of Solihull in the West Midlands in May 1975, as a player Graham Potter was a defender who worked his way up at Birmingham City in the early 1990s and, after a loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers, moved on to Stoke City in 1993.
A switch to Premier League Southampton followed three years later, around the same time Potter earned international recognition at England U21 level, before he spent three years as a West Bromwich Albion player, up to the turn of the 21st century.
Potter spent time on loan at Northampton Town and Reading while at the Hawthorns, and finished his playing days with stints at York City, Boston United, Shrewsbury Town and Macclesfield Town, ahead of hanging up his boots in 2005.
Rather than take on a different occupation or remain at a club as a coach upon his retirement, Potter focused on furthering his education to prepare himself for a career in coaching, earning a degree in social sciences from the Open University before undertaking a master’s degree in leadership and emotional intelligence at Leeds Metropolitan University.
It was at the latter institution he picked up some of his earliest coaching experience, working with the university’s Leeds Carnegie and Combined Universities sides, before later acting as football development manager for the University of Hull and technical director for the Ghanaian national women’s team at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Potter’s first senior managerial appointment yielded significant success at Scandinavian outfit Östersund, where he spearheaded three promotions in five years, won the Swedish Cup and qualified for the UEFA Europa League, where they famously beat Arsenal 2-1 at Emirates Stadium in the round of 32 second leg, before ultimately going down on aggregate.
After being twice voted Sweden’s Manager of the Year, Potter was appointed head coach by Swansea City in June 2018, where he spent one season before enjoying three years at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
Further success on the south coast - including record-high finishes and points totals - prompted his appointment as Chelsea head coach in September 2022, where he oversaw UEFA Champions League wins over AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund before departing Stamford Bridge in April 2023.
He continued his coaching education and also provided insightful and educated punditry on television and radio before being appointed West Ham United head coach in January 2025. He departed the role in September of the same year.
Factfile
Born: 19 October 1954, Solihull, West Midlands, England Appointed 9 January 2025 Departed 27 September 2025 Games Managed 25 Games Won 6 Games Drawn 5 Games Lost 14 Win Percentage 24%