Brighton tied Graham Potter down to long-term deal in 2019 amid interest from Everton
Everton have appointed Rafa Benitez as their new manager, but Brighton and Hove Albion boss Graham Potter was also looked at.
According to The Athletic, the Seagulls manager has admirers at Goodison Park, but those close to him believed Brighton had moved to tie him down to a new long-term deal in 2019 amid rumblings of interest from Everton.
Potter was never a strong contender for the job, though, as he does not have the sort of global standing that Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri wants in a manager [The Athletic].
Smart move from Brighton
Tottenham Hotspur were also keen on the 46-year-old, who was dubbed the best English manager by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola [Daily Mail], but prising him away from Brighton would have been tough.
Potter joined the club on a four-year deal in May 2019 from Swansea City, but was handed a two-year contract extension just six months later.
Everton were apparently preparing to sack Marco Silva at the time, eventually parting ways with the Portuguese in December 2019 after a 5-2 loss to Liverpool left us in 18th place in the table.
Bringing in Potter as his replacement could have saved us a lot of trouble, and we have to say Brighton made a smart move.
His 26% win rate at the Amex Stadium following 22 victories in 85 games is not particularly impressing, but the fact that his side ranked fifth in the Premier League expected goals (xG) table last season is [Info Gol].
With better finishers, Brighton could have comfortably pushed for a top-eight finish, and we believe Everton could be strongly fighting for the top-six with such a manager in our dugout.
Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about Benitez and we hope he surpasses everyone’s expectations.
In other Everton news, report details why Toffees snubbed Nuno hire and went in for Rafa Benitez.
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