Carlton Palmer tells FLW his verdict on Graham Potter potentially being pursued as Michael Beale’s replacement at Sunderland
Sunderland are once again searching for a new head coach following the decision to part ways with Michael Beale.
The 44-year-old lasted just 63 days in charge at the Stadium of Light before being sacked earlier this week.
His brief tenure came to an end with two losses in his final two games, as the squad was vying for promotion to the Premier League.
The final straw was a 2-1 loss to Birmingham City, and the Wearside team is now considering a number of names as possible successors.
When the team was looking for Tony Mowbray’s replacement back in December, Graham Potter, the former Chelsea manager who is still unemployed, was one candidate that was mentioned.
Palmer raises Potter uncertainty
After spending only a few months at Chelsea the previous season, Carlton Palmer thinks Potter needs to launch his career someplace.
Though he thinks Potter would be open to talking about the part, he has expressed misgivings about whether the Englishman would want to take his career to the next level by moving to Sunderland.
“Graham’s got to start again somewhere,” Palmer told Football League World.
“He did fantastically well at Brighton, which prompted Chelsea to take him to the football club.
“I thought he was on a hiding to nothing at Chelsea.
“I don’t think you could look at what happened at Chelsea as a guideline as to how good Graham Potter is as a manager.
“It was a really difficult situation.
“As you’ve seen [Mauricio] Pochettino is having a difficult time at Chelsea, [although] ironically they have the chance of winning a cup this weekend against Liverpool.
“So, he’s got to start again somewhere.
“But I think the problem is at Sunderland would [someone like] a Graham Potter take a job at Sunderland under the present regime in terms of wanting to work with the young players, not recruiting senior players, and getting that balance right.
“Would he take the job under those circumstances?
“Well, Graham Potter needs to get going again, he needs to get a manager’s job again, and it’s always difficult to choose which is the right role.
“Certainly, I think Graham Potter would be interested in talking to the Sunderland hierarchy.”
Sunderland league position
| Championship Table (As it stands February 19th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 9 | Preston North End | 33 | -8 | 49 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 33 | 8 | 47 |
| 11 | Watford | 33 | 4 | 44 |
| 12 | Bristol City | 33 | 1 | 44 |
| 13 | Middlesbrough | 32 | 0 | 44 |
| 14 | Cardiff City | 32 | -10 | 40 |
| 15 | Birmingham City | 32 | -11 | 38 |
| 16 | Plymouth Argyle | 32 | -3 | 37 |
The squad is now four points outside of the play-off spots in the Championship table after Beale left.
Although their hopes of making the playoffs have been hampered by recent losses to Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City, 13 games remain.
Until the conclusion of the season, Mike Dodds has been given temporary command of the first team squad. On February 24, he will return to the position against Swansea City.
Potter would be an ambitious hire
If the team were promoted to the Premier League under Dodds, Potter would be more likely to join.
It might be challenging to persuade him to move down to the second tier if the team is still in the Championship.
Potter has had an amazing career, so it would be a tremendous coup if they could persuade him to join.
The rest of his work is a far better indication of his potential than his unsatisfactory Chelsea tenure, which does not fairly represent his abilities.
See more updates on https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply