Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter has moved to reject claims that he has been lined up as Antonio Conte ’s replacement at Tottenham Hotspur.
Doubts remain over the future of the Italian schemer in north London having only penned a two-year contract to replace Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm. He has also been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino under pressure in France.
Potter has impressed with the Seagulls since his arrival and it is suggested that he could potentially succeed Conte should the former Inter Milan boss elect to wave goodbye to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, he has reaffirmed his commitment to current employers Brighton despite the continued links with Spurs. He said: “You guys (the media) sometimes put stuff in the newspapers that’s not exactly true.
“What can I say? It’s got to the point now where there’s not even a vacancy and you’re getting linked to it. I don’t know what to say. I’ve never said I want to leave at all.
“It wasn’t so long back that I was probably getting criticism and if you’d gone on some local fan sites, I bet I wasn’t the flavour of the month, so things change pretty quickly – let’s not forget that. But I’ve always had the support of Tony (Bloom, Brighton owner) and the board and they’ve given me a chance to work, so I’m grateful for that and I enjoy it here.”
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Potter looks set to lead Brighton to an impressive Premier League finish despite an inconsistent run of results throughout the campaign. The Seagulls started extremely impressively but just three wins in 25 league games - including a run of six consecutive defeats - saw them fall off the pace.
However, four victories in their last six games has seen Potter’s men rise to ninth with 47 points - their highest points haul in Premier League history. They now have the chance to secure their first-ever top-half finish over the final couple of fixtures of the campaign.
Elsewhere, Spurs will be aiming to secure a Champions League place regardless of their managerial situation. The north London side sit four points behind Arsenal ahead of what is a decisive north London derby in mid-week.
Following the 1-1 draw with Liverpool, Conte has emphasised the importance of a result against the Gunners.
“Now we stay in the race and we are deserving this,” he said. “On Thursday we have an important game, a vital game and a north London derby against Arsenal, our rival for this race and it's another game I want to get three points because it will be very important to continue to have hope and to finish in the Champions League.”
Should Tottenham fail to beat Arsenal at home, then they have a four-point deficit to overturn over the final two fixtures of the campaign. They at first face Burnley next weekend before taking on already-relegated Norwich City at Carrow Road on the final day of the season.
