West Ham United dismissed head coach Graham Potter on Saturday after only nine months in charge, as the club continues to struggle near the bottom of the Premier League. The team currently sits in 19th place with just three points from five games. The board announced that results and performances since the latter half of last season have failed to meet expectations, adding that a change was needed to secure the club’s position in the league.
Potter, 50, becomes the second Premier League manager to lose his job this season. He had replaced Julen Lopetegui in January when the club was in 14th place, but managed only six wins in 25 matches. A 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest last month briefly lifted spirits, yet heavy defeats to Tottenham and Crystal Palace after the international break sealed his fate. Potter admitted the 2-1 home defeat to Palace was a “tough moment” as fans booed the team off the pitch.
Reports from British media suggest Nuno Espirito Santo, recently dismissed by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, is the frontrunner to replace Potter. Espirito Santo, 51, guided Forest to European competition last season for the first time in three decades, but his tenure ended three weeks ago due to poor personal relations with the club’s hierarchy. The Portuguese coach previously managed Wolves and Tottenham.
Alongside Potter, assistant coach Bruno Saltor, first team coaches Billy Reid and Narcis Pelach, lead goalkeeper coach Casper Ankergren, and goalkeeper coach Linus Kandolin have also left the club. West Ham confirmed that the process of appointing a new manager is underway, with no further comment to be made at this time.
