Graham Potter acknowledged that the opportunity to lead Chelsea was too excellent to pass up.
After the London club fired Thomas Tuchel, Potter departed Brighton and Hove Albion last week to take over as head coach at Stamford Bridge.
Before Chelsea’s matchup against Salzburg in the Champions League group stage, he had his first news conference as Chelsea’s manager.
Potter expressed his gratitude for the club’s new owners’ confidence in him and his eagerness to get going.
He said when asked why he left Brighton for this opportunity:
“You have to look at the football club here, the tradition, the quality, the size, the ambition of the club, to compete in the Champions League, to compete at the top of the Premier League.
“It’s an entirely different challenge to the ones I’ve had.
“I’m very thankful for the ownership here, putting their trust in me and believing in me, to work with an exciting group of players, to be competitive, and to put a team on the pitch that supporters are proud of.
“I’m very excited, as you can imagine, and looking forward to getting going.”
The 47-year-old has also managed Swedish side Ostersund and Swansea City.
Speaking only nine days after his old Brighton squad stunned Leicester City with a 5-2 victory, he acknowledged that the change from one position to another had been fast.
He exclaimed:
“It feels like nine weeks or nine months!
“The beauty of football is you never know what’s round the corner. Things happen quickly.
“It’s been a whirlwind regarding getting to know people, leaving Brighton, learning about the players, getting to know them, but so far, it’s been positive. My first impressions have been really good. I’m looking forward to starting.”
For his approach to the game, Potter is highly regarded.
Since the start of last season, only Liverpool (11.4) and Manchester City (9.9) have averaged more high turnovers per game than Brighton (9.8) in the Premier League.
He reiterated that he wanted a Chelsea club that plays in his preferred manner while also playing to win.
He added:
“The team I’d like to see is balanced in attack and defence.
“A humble team, a respectful team that runs hard and fights.
“We want to entertain, of course, but we also want to win. I’m respectful of the Premier League.
I’m respectful of our opponents, and there are a lot of teams that want to do the same thing.
“We want to create our team and identity, so it’s recognisable.
“And supporters understand what we’re trying to do, can see what we’re trying to do.
“And we’ll fight every day for it.”
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