There’s something almost poetic about Graham Potter finding his footing in Scandinavia. After the brutal glare of Chelsea and the quiet misery of West Ham, the Swedish national job feels less like a career move and more like a breath of fresh air.
Potter took charge of Sweden in early 2025, and by his own admission, the role has given him something he’d almost forgotten he had: genuine enjoyment. “I’m loving it,” he told reporters with a smile that looked entirely unrehearsed. “The connection with the players, the supporters, it feels right.”
It’s not hard to see why. Sweden arrive at the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with two of the most exciting forwards in European football. Viktor Gyokeres, fresh off a sensational spell at Sporting CP where he plundered 43 goals in a single season, is the focal point of Potter’s attack. Alexander Isak, meanwhile, has been arguably the Premier League’s most complete centre-forward over the past 18 months at Newcastle.
Getting both to coexist was the puzzle. Potter’s solution has been elegant in its simplicity. He’s given Gyokeres the freedom to drop deep and link play, while Isak operates as the penalty-box predator. It’s a partnership that flatters both men’s strengths without forcing either into an uncomfortable role.
The contrast with his Premier League experiences couldn’t be sharper. At Chelsea, Potter inherited a squad of 30-plus players mid-season, with a new ownership group demanding results before the dressing room had even learned his name. At West Ham, the circumstances were different but the pressure equally unforgiving. Neither job allowed him the time or structure he needed.
Sweden is different. There’s patience here, a longer-term vision, and crucially, a group of players who genuinely want to be there. International football removes the contract disputes and the agent phone calls, at least temporarily.
Qualifying resumes in September, and with Gyokeres and Isak firing, Sweden are genuine contenders to make noise at the tournament itself. If Potter can guide them to the knockout stages, it won’t just rehabilitate his reputation. It might completely rewrite it.
Whether that’s enough to tempt a major club back to his door is, for now, entirely the wrong question to be asking.
