Graham Potter reveals details of failed bid to sign West Ham star in previous job

Graham Potter returns to Chelsea for the archetypal clip arsenic West Ham caput manager connected Monday nighttime arsenic helium admits to antecedently trying to motion Tomas Soucek portion astatine Brighton

Graham Potter has waited a agelong clip to enactment with “fantastic” Tomas Soucek.

The Czech midfielder celebrated 5 years astatine West Ham earlier this week. But if Potter had had his mode erstwhile successful complaint of Brighton, the aged schoolhouse midfielder would person ended up connected the southbound seashore instead.

The caller Hammers brag had adjacent met with Soucek successful an effort to enactment his magic successful January 2020 lone for West Ham to triumph the battle. It has paid disconnected for the box-to-box prima and Potter, who visits different erstwhile nine successful Chelsea connected Monday night, is enjoying the belated accidental to manager him.

“He gives his champion each azygous day, he’s a imagination successful that regard,” Potter said. “I cognize him good due to the fact that we tried to motion him astatine Brighton.

“He’s been great. The 5 years he’s been present has been a existent occurrence for him. His strengths are helium tin assistance successful some boxes, helium covers the crushed and plays successful immoderate relation the squad needs, he’s adaptable. He’s fantastic to enactment with.”

Soucek went connected to origin Potter further heartache erstwhile helium got distant with a blatant handball precocious successful a gully against Chelsea 2 years ago.

Potter’s critics past argued that his post-match appraisal was excessively gentle connected referee Craig Pawson.

And successful a week wherever the maltreatment of officials has again crossed the line, helium has felt the request to constituent to the hypocrisy of that analysis.

“It was a large save,” helium said. “At the clip I was told I should person been angrier and nastier to the referees. We’ve had a laughter astir it. He gave maine a knowing glance. It’s portion of the game, it happens. Hopefully helium tin artifact immoderate worldly without his hands connected Monday.”

West Ham are optimistic that skipper Jarrod Bowen volition beryllium acceptable for the travel to Chelsea but Potter is sweating connected the availability of Lucas Paqueta up of the caput coach’s instrumentality to Stamford Bridge.

Brazilian Paqueta is nursing a groin ailment that has kept him retired of training, though Potter is progressively assured that Bowen tin diagnostic a period connected from fracturing a foot.

“Jarrod is looking hopeful,” Potter said. "He's trained the past 2 days and we've inactive got immoderate much grooming sessions to go. So we're hopeful for him.

"Lucas we're conscionable monitoring and looking after. We're hopeful that helium tin bid astatine the backmost extremity of this week arsenic well. But evidently we volition person to see. He hasn't trained truthful acold this week."

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