Graham Potter to West Ham: Ex-Chelsea manager signs deal to replace Julen Lopetegui – Exclusive | Football news
Graham Potter has signed a contract confirming him as the new manager of West Ham United, Sky Sports News was said.
West Ham have called a press conference for 9am on Thursday morning at the London Stadium.
Potter – who could take on a tough FA Cup third-round away game against Aston Villa on Friday – is set to return to management 20 months after being sacked by Chelsea just seven months and 31 games into a five-year deal.
The time is right for Potter
Kaveh Solhekol from Sky Sports News:
“He waited for West Ham to do what he did and part ways with Lopetegui.
“The timing suits both of them. West Ham need a bit of stability right now. It’s good because Graham Potter wants the project. He’s ready to go back into management.
“I think the owners and fans will like his brand of football, the fact that he promotes youth, the fact that he likes a progressive style.
“But can he achieve that instant success? Five of their next seven Premier League games are London derbies – with a return to Stamford Bridge in the middle of them.”
“Sports director Steidten will be under scrutiny”
Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth:
“I think that sports director Tim Steidten will have a lot of attention.
“Julen Lopetegui was the unanimous choice among the board to take over as West Ham manager; if you speak to some of the fans, they felt a bit overwhelmed by the appointment. Now that he’s gone, you’d think there would be a bit of pressure on Steidten.
“They spent over £100m in the summer and he was key to that recruitment. By definition, with Lopetegui gone, you can almost call those first few weeks a failure and what they looked like in the transfer window.
“Looking ahead to this transfer window, I think it will be very interesting to see what kind of deals West Ham do and even more scrutiny of their sporting director.”
West Ham’s next five games
January 10: Aston Villa (a), FA Cup, kick-off at 8 p.m
January 14: Fulham (h), Premier League, kick-off 7:30 p.m
January 18: Crystal Palace (h), Premier League, kick-off at 3 p.m
January 26: Aston Villa (a), Premier League, live Sky Sportsstart at 4:30 p.m
February 3: Chelsea (a), Premier League, live Sky Sportsstart at 8 p.m
