Why Leicester turned to hire ex-Chelsea boss Graham Potter

Leicester City have appointed Steve Cooper as their new manager to replace Enzo Maresca, rejecting the chance to sign Graham Potter.

Cooper moves to the King Power just six months after being sacked by local rivals Nottingham Forest and has signed a three-year deal with last season’s Championship champions.

He replaces Maresca who moved to Chelsea in place of Mauricio Pochettino.

But just days ago, it looked like another man would be in the Leicester dugout: Potter.

Several reports suggested the former Brighton and Chelsea boss was on the verge of a return to management, having been out of work since his sacking at Stamford Bridge in April 2023.

But in a twist, Leicester’s hierarchy have decided to return the 49-year-old’s highly-rated player despite being impressed by his management style and tactical philosophy.

The Athletic report that there were two major obstacles that led them to shift their focus to Cooper, the first being that there were concerns about Potter’s enthusiasm for the job.

He has turned down several opportunities to return to the dugout over the past year, including at Ajax, and has been linked with bigger jobs such as Manchester United and England, both of which could become available in the near future.

The second and bigger factor was the cost it would have taken to hire Potter, who would have demanded more wages compared to Cooper.

Furthermore, Potter would have liked to be reunited with his old coaching staff at Brighton and Chelsea, most of whom are still at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues would have demanded compensation for them and it would be a long process to release them from their contracts, while most of the team behind Cooper are free agents who left Forest when he did.

For the same reason, Leicester did not opt ​​for Carlos Corberan, who would have cost £4m in compensation to be prized away from West Brom.

With time running out before the start of pre-season, the Foxes were keen to wrap up their managerial hunt quickly and Cooper will now prepare his squad for the start of the Premier League in August, with Leicester hosting Tottenham on the opening weekend.

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