Former Arsenal and England midfielder Paul Merson has once again reiterated his belief that Manchester United should have turned to recently-appointed Chelsea head coach Graham Potter instead of Erik ten Hag.
Potter, who started his coaching career at Leeds Carnegie, was installed as Chelsea's new boss last Thursday, replacing Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked just one day earlier. It is believed that differences in opinion and behind-the-scenes disagreements led to Tuchel being axed by Blues owner Todd Boehly.
Potter, who had enjoyed an excellent start to the season with Brighton & Hove Albion, was quickly identified as the Londoners' top target and they wasted no time in securing his signature. His appointment is an unusual one in relation to Chelsea's recent model, with the Blues having developed a track record, for the most part, of choosing big-name, multi-trophy-winning bosses.
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However, Potter, 47, is considered as one of the most bright and upcoming bosses in English football, highlighting why Boehly was so intent on getting him to replace Tuchel. And for Sky Sports pundit Merson, who is a big fan of Potter, he believes United should have swooped for the former Seagulls chief over Ten Hag back in May - something he made no secret of admitting at the time.
"I think it was a really strange decision to sack Tuchel, but Graham Potter is a manager I really like," said Merson, penning his column for Sportskeeda.
"Working at this level is a different ball game, but Potter has shown in his time with Swansea City and Brighton that he's more than capable of creating teams that can go toe-to-toe with the best in the business.
"I've said before that Manchester United should have got him ahead of Erik ten Hag and I stand by that statement. But he's set to take over the reins at Stamford Bridge now, and it'll be interesting to see how it turns out."
After working and impressing at Swedish outfit Ostersund between 2011 and 2018, he was poached by Swansea City in the summer of 2018. After leaving his calling card at the Welsh outfit, he was approached by Brighton less than a year later in May 2019.
He enjoyed three successful seasons at the Amex Stadium, guiding them to 15th, 16th and most recently a ninth-placed finish. He left the club with them sat in fourth in the table after their first six matches this season.
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