West Ham United have reportedly renewed their interest in former Chelsea head coach Graham Potter as the sacking of Julen Lopetegui draws ever closer.
The pressure on the Spaniard has increased following a series of heavy defeats that have left the Hammers in 14th place in the Premier League table, just seven points above the relegation zone.
Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester City was the fifth time Lopetegui’s side have scored four or more goals in all competitions, and it came just six days after their humiliating 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool.
The unrest among fans at the London Stadium has been evident for several weeks. Performances are well below expectations from a team that spent over £150m in the summer transfer window on players like Max Kilman, Niclas Fullkrug, Crysencio Summerville etc. Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Multiple sources reported early on Monday that West Ham technical director Tim Steidten had been asked to stay away from the training ground as tensions mounted behind the scenes the couple “doesn’t get along well.”
Subsequent reports, including by The Guardianhave announced that West Ham’s board have met to discuss the long-term future of Lopetegui, whose execution has already been postponed after a poor performance at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur resulted in a heavy 4-1 defeat.
The Pitch Prospect They even go so far as to say that the decision to part ways with Lopetegui has already been made, and claim that Potter is in talks to take the top job in east London. Edin Terzic and Max Allegri, formerly of Borussia Dortmund and Juventus respectively, have been touted but are unlikely to take over.
Potter, 49, has been unemployed since leaving Chelsea in April 2023. After being appointed on a five-year contract, he was only allowed to manage the Blues for eight months – a reward for the progress he had made at Brighton in 2020 over the previous three years.
Since then, a number of clubs at home and abroad have been linked with Potter, but he has so far remained on the sidelines, waiting for the right opportunity to come along.
West Ham only appointed Lopetegui in the summer after former manager David Moyes mutually agreed to part ways with the club when his contract expired. The Scot has done an excellent job in his second spell at the club, securing silverware for the first time in 43 years with success in the Conference League.
The Hammers also finished in the top seven for two consecutive seasons and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League for 12 months before winning the Conference League after remaining unbeaten throughout the competition.