West Ham to appoint Potter after sacking Lopetegui

After Julen Lopetegui was fired, Graham Potter will take over as West Ham’s manager.

Potter, the former boss of Brighton and Chelsea, will sign a two- and-a-half-year deal with the Hammers, which will be revealed at a press conference at the London Stadium on Thursday morning.

After only six months in charge, Spaniard Lopetegui was fired on Wednesday.

Following David Moyes’ departure, the 58-year-old former Wolves manager was appointed in May but officially assumed control on July 1.

During Lopetegui’s tenure, the Hammers won just six Premier League games.

Manchester City lost 4-1 to the club on Saturday, placing them 14th overall in the league table, seven points above the relegation zone. This was their ninth loss in 20 league games this season.

West Ham said in a statement: “The first half of the 2024-25 season has not aligned with the club’s ambitions, and the club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives”.

Additionally, Lopetegui’s backroom staff includes his assistant Pablo Sanz, performance director Oscar Caro, analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, fitness director Borja de Alba, and technical director Edu Rubio.

The club’s statement read, “The board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers.”

“Appointing a replacement is in progress,” the statement reads.

Given the stable ownership and track record of allowing managers time to grow, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, Potter had already received other offers since leaving Chelsea.

Potter also felt that the job seemed a good fit for the club because it had a better squad than other Premier League teams at the lower end.

In addition to Potter, West Ham also spoke to former AC Milan boss Paulo Fonseca and ex-Paris St-Germain manager Christophe Galtier, currently in charge of Saudi Pro-League club Al-Duhail.

The 49-year-old Potter, though, will return to management for the first time since he was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023.

After Todd Boehly took over at Stamford Bridge, he was made their first managerial position, but he was fired after less than seven months.

Potter impressed after leading the Seagulls to Premier League positions of 15th, 16th, and ninth in a three-year spell, earning more than £21 million in compensation for Brighton.

Potter, who previously held positions at Ostersunds FK and Swansea City, oversaw a record sum of money at Stamford Bridge in the January 2023 transfer window, but he was fired after his 11th defeat in 31 games.

He was also linked with the England job before Thomas Tuchel, his predecessor at Chelsea, was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor.

West Ham’s next game is an FA Cup third-round tie at Aston Villa on Friday.

Lopetegui was under pressure after the Hammers defeated fellow strugglers Leicester City three days later with a 5-2 defeat by Arsenal on November 30.

They went unbeaten in their next four games, including wins over Wolves and Southampton, before a 5-0 home defeat by league leaders Liverpool and Saturday’s loss at Manchester City.

The Hammers discussed replacing Lopetegui earlier this week, and it became clear that Potter and the Hammers were considering doing so.

A news conference to preview Friday’s FA Cup tie against Aston Villa was cancelled on Wednesday morning, before the Spaniard’s dismissal was announced.

In Moyes’ final season at West Ham, the club reached the Europa League quarter-finals and finished ninth overall in the Premier League.

The previous year, they had already won the Europa Conference League, which was their first trophy in 23 years.

Lopetegui, a former Spain and Real Madrid boss, spent around £125 million over the summer to improve his squad, but his season started poorly.

Chris Collinson, BBC Sport statistician

Because of Lopetegui’s leadership, West Ham’s defense suffered greatly. Because he did not make up for the terrible defense he inherited.

The Hammers defense was the worst last season, excluding the promoted teams, and that is also true now.

Their finishing has improved, despite taking more shots and having a slightly higher xG, and not as many goals.