Graham Potter has West Ham at the top of his list of preferred clubs to manage, according to Football Insider.
West Ham have been linked with an array of managers over the past few months as Julen Lopetegui‘s immediate London Stadium future remains in the balance following a disappointing start to the season.
The Spaniard replaced David Moyes in east London last summer but has failed to build on the success his predecessor had at the club and is yet to implement the more entertaining style of play fans have been craving.
Having won just five of their opening 15 Premier League games of the season, the Hammers currently sit 14th in the table, nine points above the bottom three and six points adrift of the top-eight, which is where they have aspirations of competing long-term.
Lopetegui has twice saved his job by winning reportedly ‘must-win’ fixtures, first away at Newcastle last month and then again earlier this week against Wolves at home. But despite clinging on to his job, there remains an immense amount of pressure on the former Real Madrid boss to turn things around, not just with results but also performances and style of play.
Former Brighton and Chelsea boss, Potter, has been heavily linked with the West Ham job for some time now and was even considered in the summer before Lopetegui was appointed. He is currently the bookies’ odds-on favourite for the job.
It is being reported by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke that the Englishman has been “holding out for a big job” and that he views West Ham as the right opportunity to get back into management following his departure from Chelsea in 2023.
The 49-year-old’s severance package from the Blues means he has been afforded the time to wait for the right job to come along, and it’s believed West Ham is a club which represents just that.
However, West Ham might be in a race against time to get their man. A number of other clubs are also reportedly sounding out Potter as a managerial option should they opt to also make a change this winter. The likes of Wolves, Everton and Tottenham are all giving serious consideration towards sacking Gary O’Neil, Sean Dyche and Ange Postecolgou respectively.
Potter represents the perfect option for co-owner David Sullivan, who notoriously doesn’t like having to pay compensation to hire new managers. Potter is a free agent and therefore available cheaply and immediately should Lopetegui be handed his P45.
Football Insider claim Lopetegui remains just one game away from losing his job despite the win against Wolves on Monday, and with a difficult trip to in-form Bournemouth up next, it might be the case that Potter will be waiting by the phone in the early stages of next week in anticipation of Sullivan’s call.
The Cherries have lost just twice at home in the Premier League all season – to Chelsea and Brighton – and have beaten the likes of Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham at the Vitality Stadium this term.
That means there is a very high possibility that this could be Lopetegui’s last game in charge of West Ham United.
In other news, I asked ChatGPT who West Ham’s next manager should be and it understood the assignment better than David Sullivan.
