News

Potter has impressed in testing times, says Bloom

Chairman praises Graham Potter’s impact in his first season in charge.

By Charlie Hanson • 01 August 2020

By Paul Hazlewood
Chairman Tony Bloom.

Albion head coach Graham Potter has had an excellent first 12 months according to chairman and owner Tony Bloom, who is looking forward to the future with the former Swansea boss at the helm.

Potter, 45, successfully guided the Seagulls to their highest ever Premier League points tally, in what has been a season of ups and downs on and off the pitch.

“Graham has had a brilliant 12 months,” Bloom said.

“It’s never easy coming in for your first Premier League role – he had only had one year’s experience managing in English football and he did very well in difficult circumstances at Swansea.

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Bloom: A massive effort from everyone

“So he has made quite a few changes, but then he’s had difficult personal circumstances and we’ve had project restart. So it’s been really tough for him as it has been tough for a lot of us. But we’ve been really impressed with a lot of the performances and in the last nine games, where we’ve had to stick in there and get results, he’s managed to get a lot out of the players.

“It’s been a very impressive first season and I am very much looking forward to future seasons with Graham Potter as our head coach.”

The campaign saw the promotion of younger players into the first team squad – something the chairman has been keen to see.

He added, “This has been part of our plan, so we have been thrilled that Aaron [Connolly] and Steven [Alzate] have been a part of our squad for a significant part of the season.

By Paul Hazlewood
Aaron Connolly celebrates his goal against Burnley on the final day of the season.

“It’s part of our vision, but the players have to be good enough. We have to ensure we’re doing it right at academy level when we’re bringing in players who are maybe 17, 18, 19, that they’re likely to be good enough to give them a chance to play in the Premier League.

“The players that have gone out on loan have played a lot of minutes at a very high level, particularly in the Championship and Bundesliga 2. So I think the future is bright when it comes to young players and Graham certainly isn’t adverse to playing them if he thinks they’re good enough.”