Who are Ostersunds FK? All you need to know about Arsenal's Europa League opponents and manager Graham Potter

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Standard Sport22 February 2018

Ostersunds FK, managed by Englishman Graham Potter, have been on a fairytale adventure from lower-league minnows in Sweden to the surprise package of the Europa League.

Potter took charge of the club, formed a month after Arsene Wenger was appointed Arsenal boss in 1996, seven years ago and has not looked back.

Under the tutelage of the former West Brom and Southampton defender, the club have risen from the fourth division to the Allsvenskan and last April won the Svenska Cupen - their first ever major trophy.

Ostersund have already stunned the likes of Turkish giants Galatasaray to reach the last 32, and while Arsenal beat them 3-0 in the first leg of their tie, the Swedes took a shock 2-0 lead at Emirates Stadium in the second leg.

Here's a look at Graham Potter's journey to Ostersund...

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Playing career

Born in Solihull, Birmingham, Potter was a trainee with the Blues. While at Birmingham, he had a loan spell at Wycombe before moving on to Stoke and Southampton.

Potter, a full-back, played 10 times in the Premier League for Saints, including an appearance in the famous 6-3 win against Manchester United at The Dell in 1996.

He was capped for England Under-21s while at Southampton, featuring in a European Championships qualifier against Moldova. Stints at West Brom, Northampton, Reading, York, Boston, Shrewsbury and Macclesfield followed before he retired in 2004.

Life after football

Potter had studied for a social sciences degree while playing for Southampton and eventually completed his Masters.

After hanging up his boots at the age of 30, he undertook coaching roles in higher education at universities in Hull and then Leeds. It was at the latter where he did his coaching badges: A Masters in Leadership and Emotional Intelligence.

Ostersund chairman Daniel Kindberg plucked Potter from his role at Leeds in 2011, considering him the right man to turn his struggling club around on the recommendation of then-Swansea manager Roberto Martinez's assistant coach Graham Jones, who had played with Potter at Boston.

Rise of Ostersund

Potter took over at Ostersund in 2011 when they were in the Swedish fourth tier. In his first five seasons in charge, the club won promotion three times to reach the Allsvenska - the top division of Swedish football - for the first time in 2016.

Last year, Potter steered Ostersund to their first major trophy, the Svenska Cupen, to seal qualification for the Europa League qualification stages. Ostersund finished second in Group J, level on points with Athletic Bilbao, losing only one match.

Lone Englishman

Potter began the season as the only English manager in charge of a club competing in European competition, David Unsworth later took charge of Everton during the Europa League group stages following the sacking of Ronald Koeman.

To reach this stage, Potter has masterminded victories against Galatasaray and PAOK Salonika in the qualifying rounds before progressing from a group which included Hertha Berlin and Athletic Bilbao.

A return to England?

Potter's success has begun to see him linked with jobs in England - most recently at his former club Stoke prior to their appointment of Paul Lambert last month.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

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