Graham Potter says reputation of English coaches in Europe ‘isn’t so positive’
Graham Potter highly recommends coaching abroad but believes British managers may struggle to find employment in Europe due to negative perceptions of their capabilities.
Brighton boss Potter has built his managerial career on a successful seven-and-a-half-year stint with Swedish club Ostersund.
The 44-year-old will on Monday evening come up against another coach who started in the Scandinavian country when Albion travel to Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace.
While Potter advocates the challenge of moving overseas – describing his time on the continent as a “gift” – he feels it can be tough to secure work.
“I can only speak from my own experience, I would say definitely – 100 per cent – if they have the opportunity,” said Potter.
“But rightly or wrongly, the perception in Europe of English coaches isn’t so positive, I would say as well. So I’m not sure how many opportunities there will be.
“It’s a gift to have that experience and just to see football and life through different a different lens, different eyes, it was wonderful for me.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
“So, I would say if anybody has the opportunity then they should do it. Absolutely.”
Potter was appointed by Ostersund in December 2010 and took the club from the fourth tier to the last-32 of the Europa League before joining Swansea in 2018 and then moving on to Brighton in the summer.
Eagles manager Hodgson, meanwhile, was in charge of Swedish club Halmstad between 1976 and 1980.
The 72-year-old former England boss, who is set to take charge of his 100th Palace game, went on to manage in Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Norway and Finland.
Potter, who has repeatedly expressed his admiration of Hodgson, feels stepping out of his comfort zone has been key to his development.
“I think I left (England) when I was 36, thinking I knew stuff, thinking the world was what it is here,” said Potter.
“And then you realise you live somewhere else and they have a different view of the world, different view of things.
“And that, just on a human level, is a great opportunity.
“Just being in a different society, a society structured in a different way where you have to adapt to things in a different organisation.
“The more players you can work with from different backgrounds, different lives, different countries, different continents, the way they see the world isn’t necessarily the way that you see the world and that’s good – providing you’re open-minded – for your own development.”
FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.