The main candidate for the Leicester City manager position has already received approval from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The five-time Premier League winner knew outgoing Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca well, since the Argentine was his assistant before taking over as manager. Maresca, who led Leicester to the Championship title, has now gone to take over Mauricio Pochettino’s post at Chelsea, leaving Leicester without a manager ahead of their return to the top flight. Names like Carlos Corberan, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and even Mauricio Sarri have all been connected with the Leicester position, but it appears that the club has reduced their search to two main possibilities.
Out-of-work duo Steve Cooper and Graham Potter are claimed to be the two managers dominating the race, with Potter having the slight advantage. Pep Guardiola is a ‘huge supporter’ of Leicester City manager candidate Graham Potter. Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, and has declined several job offers since then. The 49-year-old coach is widely considered to have his sights set on the England post, with the outcome of this summer’s European Championship likely to have a significant impact on whether that position becomes available.
However, Leicester do not have time to wait for England’s Euros campaign to be completed and will want to finalize their future as soon as possible. If they can persuade Potter to take over, they will have a manager who is respected by none other than Guardiola. When Potter was Brighton manager in 2021, the Catalan coach praised him, saying, “Brighton are a joy to watch, a joy to analyze.” “At the same time, seeing them makes you anxious about their quality. “To compete with them, we [City] will need to maintain the highest standards and levels. I’m a huge fan of Graham Potter.
“Everyone plays in their positions, the ball comes to them, players move freely, and everyone understands what they are supposed to do. They have the confidence to play anywhere.” Potter is the top candidate for the Leicester position. If Leicester can persuade Potter to take the reins, it could be a huge coup for the club. The former Swansea City coach’s reputation has been tainted significantly by his time at Chelsea, but Pochettino’s subsequent exit has shown just how poisoned a chalice the job is right now.
Potter’s biggest strengths are his adaptability and ability to coach a team to be more than the sum of its parts, which he demonstrated expertly with Brighton, Swansea, and Swedish side Osterstund. With Leicester’s financial problems over Premier League profit and sustainability standards (PSR), the club will be unable to throw money at survival and will thus require a manager who can get the absolute maximum from the squad. Potter has previously shown that he can be that man, and the Leicester position will allow him to demonstrate that his stint at Chelsea was only a blip on the radar of what will undoubtedly be a great career.
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