West Ham hires former Chelsea coach Graham Potter

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/01/2025 (618 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MANCHESTER, England – West Ham hired Graham Potter as the coach on Thursday, a day after Julen Lopetegui was fired.

Potter has been out of management since he was fired by Chelsea in 2023 after just seven months in the job at Stamford Bridge. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract.

“It was important to me that I waited until a job came along that I felt was right for me, and equally that I was the right fit for the club I am joining. That is the feeling I have with West Ham United,” he said.

Potter takes over a team that has won only three of its last 11 games and is 14th in the standings, seven points above the relegation zone.

Former Real Madrid and Spain coach Lopetegui paid the price for that poor run when his departure was confirmed on Wednesday. He was hired last May to take the club to new heights after previous manager David Moyes ended West Ham’s 43-year wait for a major trophy by winning the Europa Conference League in 2023.

The 49-year-old Potter said West Ham had “everything in place to become consistently successful, both on and off the pitch.”

“You don’t win a European trophy by fluke – there has to be a good bedrock at a football club for that to happen, and the challenge now is to take that on and build the next steps, to develop a team and a club that the supporters can be proud of,” he said.

Potter enjoyed an impressive rise after beginning his coaching career at Ostersunds in Sweden in 2011.

He took over at Swansea in 2018 and by 2022 was in charge of Premier League giant Chelsea after a stint at Brighton.

But his reputation took a hit at Chelsea, which was undergoing a turbulent period following the takeover by U.S. owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. He lasted just six months after a run of just seven wins from 22 league games.

West Ham said Potter was its “unanimous choice.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

His first game will be on Friday at Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup.

___

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer