The Argus has revealed that Graham Potter is on Albion's shortlist to become the next manager.

Andy Naylor reports on the reasons why another left field candidate is appealing to owner-chairman Tony Bloom.

Prior to selecting Chris Hughton to rescue Albion from the threat of relegation to League One, Tony Bloom's choices exhibited outside-the-box thinking.

Few saw Gus Poyet's appointment coming, even fewer Oscar Garcia (below) and Sami Hyypia.

The Argus: Bloom has reverted to type as Albion close in on Hughton's successor.

Not many people would have put Graham Potter in the frame when news broke early on Monday morning of Hughton's unceremonial dumping.

Graham who? Yes that's the one, the inevitable victim of Harry jokes who you may vaguely of heard about with a habit of joining clubs with an S connection.

Southampton and Stoke as a player, Sweden and Swansea as a coach.

There are far stronger reasons than the alphabet that have made Solihull-born Potter, 44 next Monday, attractive to Bloom's Albion and Dan Ashworth, the club's first-ever technical director hired from the FA.

Potter does not conform to the conventional paths of a player turned coach and manager - he was a full-back with 11 clubs also including West Brom and Birmingham (below right).

The Argus: The two degrees for starters. In 2005, at the age of 30 and supported by the PFA, Potter graduated from the Open University with a degree in Social Sciences.

Following spells as football development manager for the University of Hull and assistant coach to the England Universities squad, Potter took up a similar role at Leeds Metropolitan University where he completed a master's degree in leadership and emotional intelligence.

Potter elevated himself onto the radar beyond educational establishments when, in 2010, he became coach of Ostersund.

He transformed the little-known Swedish fourth tier club, steering them to three promotions and a place in the domestic top flight for the first time in their history.

They also won the cup to qualify for the Europa League. Their European adventure included beating Galatasary and Arsenal at The Emirates, which Hughton almost emulated in his final away match in charge.

Potter's unorthodox methods surfaced in Sweden. He encouraged his players and staff to perform in theatre and music productions to take them out of their comfort zone.

Swansea appointed Potter last summer, after they had been relegated from the Premier League under initially Paul Clement, then Carlos Carvalhal.

The Argus: He inherited a club emphasising the value of Hughton keeping Albion up at the expense of the Welshmen's neighbours Cardiff.

Financially ravaged, 16 players left the Liberty Stadium and just five were signed.

That left Potter to mould together a young team, using academy graduates, that finished tenth in the Championship.

It is easy to see, with Ashworth's background with young players and further heavy investment in the training complex at Lancing, why Potter has caught Albion's eye.

Together with the restoration of Swansea's reputation for a passing brand of football, lost in their latter years of their Premier League stay.

Potter is very fluid in the formation he uses, changing regularly both from game to game depending on the opposition and often during games. Some would say too regularly.

This differs from Hughton's consistent, more functional approach, but there are character similarities.

Potter is said to be pleasant-natured and civil. An all-round good guy, media-friendly, liked by the players and supporters.

Sources in Swansea suggest a move to the Amex is not a fait accompli for Potter.

He is conscious of the fact that he signed up for a project. Like Hughton, he has two years left on his contract, although there were suggestions of a £2 million buyout clause when he was linked with Celtic.

He has also made reference on more than one occasion to upsetting his three young children by uprooting the family to Swansea from Sweden, where he stayed for seven years.

That said, considering the financial constraints he is working under in Wales and hike in personal terms, it is hard to see Potter turning Albion down if he is offered the post.