Graham Potter has refused to confirm if he was interviewed for the England manager’s job and says he “absolutely” believes an English coach could have led the team to the World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel, who Potter succeeded at Chelsea in September 2022, was this month named the third foreign manager in England’s history with a remit to win the World Cup in Canada, the USA and Mexico in 2026.
The Football Association’s chief executive Mark Bullingham has said around 10 coaches were interviewed for the job, including some English candidates.
Potter believes German Tuchel is “a great appointment” but says the examples of Spain boss Luis de la Fuente and Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, who led their countries to the European Championship and World Cup, prove that a less decorated English manager could have won major honours.
“I’ve been out of work for 18 months, and I’ve had conversations with quite a few people, but I don’t want to get in a place where I’m confirming or denying anything because I don’t think that’s fair for anybody,” Potter told the Planet Premier League podcast.
“I think they’ve made a really good appointment for a coach that is obviously successful, has won lots of things and I think if that’s the strategy and if that’s the criteria then it’s a fantastic appointment because Thomas’s record is brilliant and he’s won the Champions League.
“I think that there are obviously other things to consider in terms of, you know…’do I think that an English coach can win the World Cup or a major trophy?’
“Yes, absolutely I do.
“So you look at the previous winners, the Spanish coach [de la Fuenta], I don’t think was a Champions League winning coach. I don’t think the Argentinian coach [Scaloni] was a Champions League winning coach.
“If you look at the last, in the last European coach to, to win outside of Europe, the World Cup, Joachim Loew, his career was one of a coach.
“But at the same time, I understand if that’s the criteria and it feels like that was the movement towards how we need a winning coach, a top coach that can help these top players, then Thomas is a fantastic coach and a great appointment.”
