In a surprising turn of events, former Chelsea boss Graham Potter is set to replace Julen Lopetegui as the manager of West Ham. The announcement comes after Lopetegui was sacked following just 22 games in charge.
Potter, who has been out of work since being dismissed by Chelsea in April 2023, has agreed to a two and a half year contract with the Hammers. Despite some initial disagreements around the length of his contract, final details were thrashed out on Wednesday.
The new manager will inherit a team currently sitting at 14th place in the Premier League table despite receiving almost £150m investment last summer. This follows an underwhelming performance under Lopetegui's leadership where he won just six out of twenty league fixtures.
Downfall of Lopetegui
Lopetegui's tenure at West Ham was marked by several controversies and poor performances. Despite earning a brief reprieve after winning against his former club Wolves, consecutive heavy defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City led to another change in management.
West Ham stated that their decision to sack Lopetegui was due to results not aligning with the club’s ambitions. They have therefore taken action in line with their objectives. However, how they handled this process left him "infuriated".
Lopetegui had been hired with hopes of introducing a more expansive style of play following David Moyes’ era but began his campaign with three straight defeats and had separate rows with key players like Mohamed Kudus and Jean Clair Todibo.
Backroom changes
Alongside these changes on field, there have also been significant shifts off field too. Complaints were raised about Lopetuguei's communication skills leading assistant Edu Rubio often acting as an intermediary. Rubio, along with four other members of the backroom team, have also left the club. The total compensation bill for these changes will cost more than £3m.
The future of transfer chief Tim Steidten is also uncertain after he clashed with both Lopetegui and predecessor Moyes over recruitment issues. The deal to bring in Potter has been handled by owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady.
Potter's first challenge as West Ham manager will be the FA Cup tie against Aston Villa on Friday night. Fans are eagerly waiting to see how this change in leadership will impact the team's performance moving forward.
