The leading candidate for the Leicester City manager job has already had the seal of approval from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
The five-time Premier League winner knew outgoing Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca very well, with the Argentine serving as his assistant prior to becoming the main man at the Foxes.
Having guided Leicester to the Championship title, Maresca has now left to take over the role vacated by Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea; leaving Leicester managerless ahead of their top flight return.
Names such as Carlos Corberan, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and even Mauricio Sarri have all been linked with the Leicester job, but it now seems that the club have narrowed their search down to two lead candidates.
Out of work duo Steve Cooper and Graham Potter are said to be the two managers leading the race, with Potter the man with the slight edge.
Pep Guardiola a ‘big fan’ of lead Leicester City manager candidate Graham Potter
Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, turning down a number of job offers in the time that has followed.
It is widely believed the 49-year-old coach has his heart set on the England job, with the outcome of this summer’s European Championship likely to have a huge bearing on whether that role becomes vacant.
However, Leicester do not have time to wait for England’s Euros campaign to conclude and will want to have their future wrapped up as quickly as possible.
If they do manage to convince Potter to take charge, they will have a manager who is admired by none other than Guardiola.
The Catalan coach spoke highly of Potter when he was Brighton manager in 2021, saying: “Brighton are a joy to watch, a joy to analyse.
“At the same time, when you see them you are concerned about their quality.
“We [City] will need to be at the highest standards and level to compete against them. I’m absolutely a big fan of Graham Potter.
“Everyone plays in their positions, the ball comes to the positions, players move with freedom and everyone knows what they have to do. They have the courage to play everywhere.”
Potter the outstanding candidate for Leicester job
If Leicester can persuade Potter to take the reins it could well be a real coup for the club.
The former Swansea City coach’s reputation has been tarnished slightly by his spell at Chelsea, but Pochettino’s subsequent departure has highlighted just how poisoned a chalice that job is currently.
Potter’s greatest attributes are his flexibility and ability to coach a side to be greater than the sum of their parts, as he did expertly with Brighton, Swansea and Swedish side Osterstunds.
With Leicester’s financial concerns relating to Premier League profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) the club will not be able to throw money at survival and will therefore need a manager who can get the absolute maximum out of the squad.
Potter has demonstrated previously he can be that man and the Leicester job can give him the opportunity to show his time at Chelsea was just a bump in the road in what will surely be a successful career.
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