Brighton & Hove Albion technical director Dan Ashworth is confident Graham Potter will bring the qualities that have marked him out as one of English football’s best young coaches to his new role with Albion.
Potter was unveiled as the club’s new head coach on his 44th birthday on Monday.
Ashworth said, “From my point of view, I know the club has tracked potential head coaches for a while. Graham came up on our radar in my previous role [as technical director of the Football Association] as a fantastic emerging coach.
“He is someone who thinks deeply about the game, has great empathy with the players and gets the best from them.”
Ashworth has also outlined how he will work alongside Potter as the club prepare for their third season in the Premier League.
“The role of the technical director is to support the head coach, through player recruitment, and also make sure the football staff and training ground are functioning properly.
“Then there is our academy, loan players and the development of young players to come through to help player recruitment into the first-team squad.
“It’s an open, honest and transparent relationship, but any player who comes into the first-team squad will have final sign off by Graham and to be fair, that is what the majority of clubs work to.
“Between us we highlight the needs of the squad, go through the recruitment process and find options, then Graham has final sign-off.”