Potter to take charge at West Ham after Lopetegui sacked
Former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter is poised to return to football at West Ham United after they sacked Julen Lopetegui.
Potter is reported to have agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Hammers and is set to be in the dugout for Friday’s FA Cup third-round trip to Aston Villa.
The 49-year-old has been out of work since his seven-month spell at Chelsea ended abruptly in April 2023 but has been linked with several top jobs since.
Potter is said to have turned down approaches from Ajax and Lyon in the last year and was on the Football Association’s shortlist to be England manager before Thomas Tuchel took the role.
The journeyman player made his name as a coach in Sweden, where he took Ostersund from the fourth division to European qualification and domestic cup success.
Potter returned to England to manage Swansea in 2018 and was poached a year later by Brighton, where he burnished his reputation and earned a move to Chelsea.
Former Spain boss Lopetegui was dismissed on Wednesday after just six months in the job after winning just six of 20 games in the Premier League, leaving them 14th in the table.
“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,” West Ham said.
“The board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.”
Lopetegui’s coaching team of assistant Pablo Sanz, head of performance Oscar Caro, head analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, fitness coach Borja De Alba and technical coach Edu Rubio have also left with immediate effect.