Graham Potter sends massive 20-goal Chelsea message to Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling
Brighton’s Graham Potter team never possessed a prolific goal scorer. The fact that the Seagulls would nearly always fall short of their predicted goals figure each week even though they generated a lot of high-caliber opportunities, became somewhat of a running joke during the 2020–21 season.
Neal Maupay led all scorers during Potter’s three seasons in Sussex with 10 goals in the 2019-20 season, the first time a Brighton player reached double digits under the 47-year-old. He had repeated requests to sign a proven striker, but at the highest level, they are difficult to find.
Potter firmly believes that team goals should be distributed evenly and that his squad should attack and defend as a unit.
“You get stuff like people saying you need someone who scores 20 goals in the Premier League,” Potter told The Argus in August.
“But how many people scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season and can you name them? It’s just two. [Mohammed] Salah and [Harry] Kane.
“But the amount of times I’ve been asked about signing a 20-goal striker at Brighton is crazy.
“It’s unbelievable. But I’ve faced that for 18 months to two years.
“There’s not even that many people who scored 15 goals in the Premier League last year!
“But there’s a narrative out there that you have to have this goalscorer, who is a proven goalscorer.”
Therefore, it seems that new Chelsea boss Potter will not be putting pressure on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling to score 20 goals this season, and he will be putting an emphasis on goals being scored from all areas of the team.
Aubameyang, who signed from Barcelona on deadline day, has scored 20+ goals in two of his three full seasons in the Premier League. As for Sterling, despite not being an out-and-out striker, he scored 20 league goals in 2019/20, 18 in 2017/18 and 17 in the 2018/19 campaign.
Both players are capable of scoring over 20 goals for the Blues this season, but Potter believes a prolific goal scorer isn’t a necessity to a successful team.