Graham Potter was all smiles as he was unveiled as the new Chelsea manager on Monday... but how long will those smiles last for?
The Englishman has succeeded the sacked Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge and has been tasked with turning the Blues into Premier League title contenders. It's a daunting challenge when you consider how good Manchester City and Liverpool were last term.
Just look at what Tuchel achieved at Chelsea. He won the Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup - and reached three other major cup finals - during a 20-month spell in charge. To think he was sacked after that success is just mind-boggling.
Potter arrives at Chelsea with a fine CV. Although he's never managed at the highest level, he's enjoyed success in his three other jobs - transforming Ostersunds from Swedish minnows into a team capable of beating Arsenal at the Emirates in the Europa League.
Potter also did well at Championship side Swansea - well enough to earn the Brighton job. The 47-year-old turned the Seagulls into a top-10 Premier League team during his time at the Amex and it's no surprise that Chelsea came calling.
Perhaps the only shock is Potter accepting an offer from Chelsea chair Todd Boehly. If the Blues fail to finish in the top four, Potter may just find himself on football's unforgiving scrapheap. But that's just my opinion! Here is what Mirror Football's other writers think...
Do you think Graham Potter will be a success at Chelsea? Let us know in the comments below!
John Cross
The question is not whether Potter is the right man for Chelsea but whether Chelsea is right for Potter.
No-one should doubt Potter's ability as a coach, a man-manager or as leader because he has proved himself at Brighton where he exceeded all expectations.
He took himself out of his comfort zone to move to Ostersunds. Swansea was also another clever stepping stone. He is smart, destined for the top and the best young British manager around. But Chelsea have a horrible habit of swallowing up managers – and then spitting them out.
Potter is exactly what Chelsea’s new ownership needs because he can build a dynasty, align himself with the recruitment and improve young players. Chelsea fans should be excited. But I hope Boehly is as good as his word in giving Potter time and support.
This should be an exciting new chapter for Chelsea.
Nathan Ridley
Potter has never taken the easy route to success - and that's why he's primed to succeed at Chelsea.
From retiring at the age of 30 while still a steady Football League player to taking his wife and 11-month old son to the bitter cold of Scandinavia in order for him to be in charge of a four-tier Swedish club, he's passed tests that no other Premier League manager has faced.
Well-deserving and ready for his shot at the big time, Chelsea can offer Potter the perfect foundation for a dynasty in west London. The Blues' squad is already well-suited to his fluid style of football, packed with players who profile perfectly for his progressive system.
Of course, Boehly will need to put the blood-dripping axe away for a while and leave the acclaimed English tactician to chart his own path - unlike how the American tycoon attempted to forge a relationship with Tuchel.
As countless coaches have found themselves chewed up and spat out by the Stamford Bridge machine, Potter can work his magic and finally break the cut-throat cycle.
Neil McLeman
It is a different model for Chelsea who have usually gone for the hottest coach in Europe, starting with Jose Mourinho. But it is now a different regime in charge and Potter is the choice of Boehly.
It is good that a top Premier League club have appointed an English coach – even if it makes it less likely Potter will succeed Gareth Southgate as the national boss.
He is not, though, a great speaker – his press conferences can be turgid – as he lets his teams do the talking.
The former Swansea coach had the protection of the club and a solid structure at the Amex Stadium and will need the same at Stamford Bridge. His lack of Champions League experience is also a calculated gamble though he beat Arsenal at the Emirates with Ostersund in the Europa League.
Chelsea want him as a long-term appointment – just as they did with Andres Villas Boas and Frank Lampard.
David Maddock
As a coach, you’d have to back Potter to succeed in one of the top jobs in football. He’s earned that right with the football he has produced at Brighton. The respect shown to him for that, from some of the best coaches in world football ever, tells you that.
Jurgen Klopp said only a few months ago he had no doubt Potter was ready for one of the biggest jobs, and Pep Guardiola echoed that sentiment. Yet there are top jobs and then there’s Chelsea.
They have a co-owner apparently operating as a de facto sporting director, bringing in players the previous manager Tuchel didn’t want. That does not sound a recipe for success.
Tuchel’s departure itself is also cause for major concern, given his record at Stamford Bridge. Working for owners who know nothing about football yet still want to be involved in the sporting decisions looks a bold decision – or massive risk – for Potter to take.
Alan Smith
Few will dispute that Potter is one of the brightest young coaches around, but more than two decades of history indicates that leading Chelsea is more about handling egos than setting a team up to win games. That is a challenge he has not yet faced in a managerial career that picked up pace gradually before taking off at Brighton.
Unpopular decisions will have to be made, the noses of big-name players on obscene wages put out of joint and few of his predecessors, not even legends such as Lampard, have survived a dressing room where player power is arguably greater than any other.
Maybe the new owners will bring around the cultural change they have promised but the jury remains out there and if the status quo remains Potter’s biggest challenge may be keeping the players on board beyond the short-term.
Daniel Orme
It goes without saying that Chelsea’s decision to appoint Potter is a departure from their recent approach to incoming managers. The former Brighton schemer is a slight alteration to the club’s previous picks of proven winners - Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Tuchel all among those to have come and gone over recent seasons.
That does not mean to say that he is the wrong man for the job. Potter has certainly earned praise for the work he has done with the likes of Ostersunds, Swansea and Brighton - his style of play with the latter seeing him earn plenty of plaudits. That should certainly stand him in good stead with Maurizio Sarri seeing his Chelsea tenure ended due to an adverse style of play.
The one doubt that there is over Potter’s suitability could potentially be his ability to micro-manage some of the biggest personalities in the game but should he manage to do that then there is no reason that he can’t be a success at Stamford Bridge.
David Anderson
Now we are going to see how good Potter really is. Yes, Potter did brilliantly at Ostersund, but Swedish football is far from being one of Europe’s top leagues.
He was not at Swansea long enough to make much impact, while his main success at Brighton during his three years in charge was to lead them to ninth last season – their highest position in the Premier League.
His success in the Premier League has been relative so far and now he must show he can live up to his billing as the best English manager of his generation by delivering trophies at Chelsea. Chelsea co-owner Boehly has already shown he is not a patient man and the pressure will be on Potter from his first match in charge.
He is also following one of Europe’s top coaches in Tuchel and the German won the Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup and reached three successive domestic cup finals. Potter has big shoes to fill.
