"Football is quite easy when you're doing well, and you're winning games. It's when things aren't so good and when things do get a bit tough that the character and personality and the attitude and the personal qualities really stand up.
"Understanding them [the players], I think, is really important."
If ever there was a more Graham Potter sentence. This is the epitome of the new Chelsea head coach, grounded, relaxed, calm, and methodical. Large sections of his pre or post-match press conferences can be used for various situations. Unless he is referencing certain players, events or actions, his staples remain the same.
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So much so is this the case that the opening quote is three years old. It was during his unveiling as Brighton's manager in 2019. It is perhaps the most Potter thing to say, and the rest of his words have a similar, timeless effect that should interest Chelsea fans.
He also went on to say, "You've got to convince the players, and you've got to convince the environment that you can succeed. That's ultimately what it is. My job is to quickly understand the strengths of the players to try and help them improve, but there's no doubt the Premier League is so competitive and tough.
"We need to try and build up the team that understands that and has that humility and respect for the game."
On transfers, he once again prefered to steer clear, adding: "Any football club will look to try and use the window to try and improve, but my focus has always been on trying to help the players that are already here to improve and to get better.
"It's a clean slate. I'm looking forward to meeting everybody, getting to understand what they're about, and what qualities they bring to the group on and off the pitch, but clearly, in every window, you want to try and help the team and the group get better".
"But the idea or concept that it's important to understand the individual and the person as well as the footballer. I think it's a helpful concept to have regardless of the competition."
This is textbook Potter from his own mouth. Communication, development, humility, individuals, people, understanding. They're all buzzwords and may well go on to be the new 'suffer' of Antonio Conte. What makes these quotes so relevant though is how they can be used to narrow down targets. Be that for transfers, coaches, scouts, directors or kit men. Potter is a people person that wants to feel on level with his players.
In taking his trusted backroom staff with him to Stamford Bridge, including Billy Roberts, Kyle Macaulay, Bruno Saltor and Bjorn Hamberg, Potter has a group he knows well, and all of them fit the description of what he is looking for.
When introducing his members of staff in a video, Potter's buzzwords were evident again, 'good person,' 'capable person,' really good with people,' huge personality,' 'really impressive guy,' 'great manner, great intelligence, humility, and respect for people. He's a top person,' 'fantastic person.' That's Potter through and through. It's what attracted Todd Boehly to him, and it's what makes one of the latest targets so interesting.
With the news that Chelsea were pursuing Joe Shields as a new head of recruitment, only three months after leaving Manchester City to join Southampton, the easy thing to look at would be his track record. Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden coming through, Romeo Lavia being signed this summer by the Saints and Armel Bella-Kotchap a potential breakthrough star.
What may well interest Potter more than that, though, is the person behind the moves. Instead of goal orientation, Potter, an extremely process-driven man, will look to why Shields has been a success and see how that could translate to life at Chelsea.
It doesn't take long to realise. In a piece written by the Independent in 2017, Shields was described as: 'strikingly popular', and his people skills and strength of communications were praised in an industry that is 'very human.' It also wrote that he was successful with families "because of his supportiveness, trust and encouragement."
If Potter could write the code for a member of staff, it would include ways to get these characteristics in there. More than looking for the biggest profit makers of people with the best track records - though that comes with the skills and quality of staff - is understanding why these things will or won't work at each individual club.
Potter has already said that when things get tough, it's vital to know the players, the buttons that need to be pushed and how to manage the people he sees on a daily basis, Shields - if employed - would be no different, and it's obvious to see why he is a top candidate for the role.
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