In his 20 months out of football, Graham Potter fielded interest from more than 10 clubs, in England and overseas, and four foreign national football associations.

Potter spent time with Steve Borthwick, the head coach of the England rugby union team, visited different sports, some of which were in the United States, gave a leadership talk in the Falklands, started to learn Spanish, hit the gym and even went to see Taylor Swift at Wembley.

But now he is more than ready to re-enter the washing machine, as he once described it, of Premier League football management at West Ham United. Given he met the media before he met his new squad, Potter could be forgiven for watching Friday night’s FA Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa from the stands. But he described his first day back as “Christmas for the adults”, so why wait to get stuck into the presents?

Potter’s last game in charge of Chelsea was against Villa in April 2023, so there is a nice symmetry to his first match back in management against Unai Emery’s team.

There is also a perfect example in Emery for anybody who might think Potter could be damaged goods for his bruising seven months in charge of Chelsea. The Spaniard suffered a similarly tough time at Arsenal before returning to England and taking Villa into the Champions League.

West Ham fans will hope Potter can have a similar impact at the London Stadium and the Premier League loves a comeback story. Just ask Eddie Howe, who suffered relegation with Bournemouth before returning at Newcastle, Nuno Espirito Santo, who has recovered from his brief stint at Tottenham Hotspur with Nottingham Forest, and Marco Silva, who was sacked by Everton before proving himself again at Fulham.

So does Potter have a point to prove to those who wanted to write him off for seven tough months in a 12-year coaching career, in which he had worked his way up from the fourth tier of Swedish football with Ostersunds to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with Chelsea?

“Well, when I listen to Pep Guardiola and he says he’s got something to prove… If he’s got something to prove, then we all have,” said Potter, who spoke with energy and enthusiasm. “It’s the reality. On one level you’ve always got something to prove, every day. It drives you forward. I’m comfortable in my own skin, I’m comfortable with who I am and what I’ve done. Clearly no one’s perfect.

“Life is about taking the successes and accepting the setbacks, and accepting the defeats and accepting the mistakes or whatever you want to call it and dealing with it and making you stronger. That’s part of who we are.

“You guys as journalists will be the same. You won’t write everything brilliantly and sometimes maybe a piece won’t be so good and you reflect on that and go: ‘OK, maybe I can do something better.’ It’s just how it is.

“But I think I’m a better person now for the experience, a better coach for the experience and well rested. Twelve years of non-stop, being a football coach across three different countries, climbing from the fourth tier to the last eight of the Champions League. It doesn’t come for free, so the break has done me good. It gives me the chance to reflect, gives me the chance to think and now I’m here, delighted to speak to you.”

‘This one felt like the right option’

Some of the interest in Potter during his time out, such as from Leicester City, Everton, Ajax and Southampton, has been made public while other approaches have remained under the radar. The fact four foreign national football associations, including Denmark and Sweden, have sounded him out also highlights the breadth of his appeal.

For Potter, West Ham is a case of the right club at the right time and the fact the east London club were willing to give him a 2½-year contract demonstrates a belief on both sides.

“It’s been 20 months. I think 20 months of a good rest, a good break,” said Potter. “You can imagine in that time you speak to lots of people, lots of conversations with different owners and different directors about different things.

“But it was important that I chose the right option for me at the right time. And as soon as I spoke to this club, it just felt right for me. I spoke with the board, spoke with everybody connected with the club, looked at the squad, looked at the academy. This one felt like the right one.

“I’m really excited to be here. It’s an amazing club with a tremendous, loyal fan base that’s passionate, that’s knowledgeable, that knows their football, that knows what they like, knows what they want. I think it’s a good fit. So, yeah, as I said, I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Potter has arrived at West Ham with two of his old Brighton and Chelsea staff, Billy Reid and Bruno Saltor, while former Stoke City manager Narcis Pelach has joined him as a first-team coach. How long under-pressure technical director Tim Steidten, who was not present at Potter’s unveiling, stays at the club remains to be seen.

“We need to be aligned, we need to use the resources we have,” said Potter. “In the Premier League, there’s lots of good players, lots of good coaches, top, top, top everywhere. So unless you’re together, unless you’re moving forward together, it becomes very difficult. So that’s going to be the challenge and that’s what I’m looking forward to and I’m really excited by it. And my first impressions of everybody have been really positive.”

On first impressions, Potter has already made a positive start to his long-awaited comeback.