Graham Potter will not be heading to Celtic anytime soon.
The former Brighton and Chelsea manager has officially committed his future to Sweden, ending speculation that had linked him with a possible move to Glasgow.
Potter commits to Sweden role
Potter returned to Sweden — the country where his professional coaching career first took off — when he agreed to take charge of the national team on a short-term basis last October.
Although Sweden failed to secure automatic qualification for the World Cup, they still have a path to the tournament through the play-offs this month after entering via the Nations League.
Now, Potter has chosen to extend his stay with the national side.
“To be able to continue in this role means a lot to me,” Potter said in a statement released by the Swedish Football Association.
“I feel both a great pride and a great responsibility. It’s a big day for me and a fantastic opportunity to do something important going forward.
“Sweden is a football country with a proud history of teams that have made it to the finals of major championships and competed there, which we want to return to.”
Celtic links now off the table
Potter’s extension effectively ends the brief speculation that he could have been a candidate for the Celtic job in the future.
Some observers had suggested the Englishman might be a strong option for the Hoops if a managerial vacancy emerged — including former Celtic defender Johan Mjallby.
Johan Mjallby had tipped Graham Potter for Celtic job
Before Potter committed his future to Sweden, Mjallby publicly backed him as a potential Celtic manager.
The Swedish Celtic legend compared him with another Scandinavian name who has been attracting attention this season.
He said on TNT Sports: “[Askou] has done a remarkable job with Motherwell this season, but is he a big name? He’s not a big name.”
“Right now, he’s in a quite nice environment, and he’s doing really well with limited resources at Motherwell. Yes, of course, they play great football.
“Can you do that at Celtic? I don’t know. Has he got the name for it? Has he won any medals? Celtic is a club, where if things aren’t going great for you, the pressure is there.
“So I can’t really say if Askou is the right guy. The way they play football? Yes. But is he mentally strong enough to take the Celtic job without being used to winning? I don’t know.
“But if it was Graham Potter, I would [go for] him. Because I don’t know if he’s interested in the Celtic job, but he’s a good name.”
Not all fans were convinced
Despite Mjallby’s endorsement, many Celtic supporters were not particularly enthusiastic about the idea of Potter taking charge.
Discussion among TalkingPoints users showed a strong leaning against the appointment, with concerns largely focused on the trajectory of Potter’s managerial career in recent years.
Why Celtic fans weren’t having Graham Potter
Potter’s reputation was at its peak during his impressive spell at Brighton, which ultimately earned him the Chelsea job in 2023.
He left the south coast club to replace the popular Tomas Tuchel during the early months of the Todd Boehly era at Stamford Bridge.
However, the move failed to work out.
Potter won just 12 of his 31 matches in charge of Chelsea, and a 3-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa ultimately led to his dismissal after only seven months.
His next opportunity also proved difficult.
A return to the Premier League with West Ham initially seemed like a logical step, but he managed just six wins in 25 matches before being sacked only a month into the current season.
A fresh start with Sweden
Now Potter is attempting to rebuild his reputation on the international stage.
His Sweden squad already includes familiar Celtic connections, with former Hoops defender Carl Starfelt involved alongside current Celtic player Benjamin Nygren.
Nygren even scored the first goal of Potter’s tenure as Sweden manager — an early sign of the project he now hopes to develop further.
For Celtic, though, any talk of Potter arriving in Glasgow has effectively been put to rest.