West Ham appoint former Chelsea manager as Lopetegui replacement
West Ham have appointed former Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Swansea City manager Graham Potter as Julen Lopetegui’s successor after the Spaniard’s six-month spell in charge ended on Wednesday.
Englishman Potter, who signed a two-and-a-half year contract, has spent more than 21 months away from football since leaving Stamford Bridge, where he reigned for less than seven months in the 2022/23 season, including 11 defeats in 31 games.
The 49-year-old will have the chance to end his new club’s two-game losing streak when West Ham visit Aston Villa in the season Third round of the FA Cup on Friday (8:00 p.m. GMT).
The Hammers return to the Premier League clash at home against ninth-placed Fulham on January 14 (7.30pm) before facing Crystal Palace, currently one position below them, four days later (4pm). .
Potter’s first league away game will also be at Villa on January 26 (4.30pm).
West Ham United are delighted to welcome Graham Potter as the club’s new head coach ⚒️
– West Ham United (@WestHam) January 9, 2025
Graham Potter plate
Potter moved to Chelsea in September 2022 from Brighton, where in his first Premier League job he made a name for himself for his progressive style of football and his ability to develop young talent.
The Seagulls were fourth in the table after six games in Potter’s fourth season as manager, and Chelsea never bettered that position during his short tenure, lying in 11th place at the time of his departure.
Chelsea’s greatest success under Potter was their run of four consecutive Champions League group stage wins and overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the round of 16although they were eliminated by Real Madrid following his dismissal.
Under Potter, Albion reached their best ever finish of ninth place thanks to five wins and one defeat in the last nine games of the 2021/22 season, overcoming a lull of six consecutive defeats and just one goal between February and March.
Brighton finished 15th in Potter’s first season in 2019/20 and 16th at the end of the following season, going more than a year without a home win in the league between 2020 and 2021.
Lopetegui was fired
Lopetegui, whose career has included managerial positions with Spain, Real Madrid, Porto, Wolves and Sevilla, was named David Moyes’ successor in May, but defeats in his first three home games contributed to the 58-year-old’s rapid decline came under pressure.
He managed a net spend of £85.2m in the summer but lost nine and won six of his 20 league games, with West Ham finishing in 14th place, seven points above the relegation zone, after Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester City.
Moyes won West Ham’s first European trophy since 1965 by winning the 2022/23 Conference League, as part of a second spell at the helm that lasted four and a half years.
