West Ham create another farce – but Graham Potter offers intriguing escape route | OneFootball

Farewell, Julen Lopetegui. You leave West Ham as you arrived: unwanted by fans, and even by technical director Tim Steidten, it seems. Yet perhaps even the most ardent anti-Lopetegui voices would admit to feeling a degree of sympathy for the Spaniard.

The manager’s dismissal by West Ham was an open secret days before it was made public, as were negotiations with his prospective successor Graham Potter, yet still Lopetegui turned up to take training. Why wouldn’t he have? He was still employed. It is not a kind way to conduct business, though many successful figures would tell you that business is rarely kind. And Lopetegui’s exit is just business.

In truth, the manner in which it played out should come as little surprise – least of all to Lopetegui, who was interviewed to replace David Moyes in May, before the Scot’s future was declared as separate from the club’s.

Or, “the Club’s”, per a statement on Wednesday. “The first half of the 2024/25 season has not aligned with the Club’s ambitions, and the Club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives,” was West Ham’s explanation of this week’s events. “The Board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.”

The statement finished: “The process of appointing a replacement is underway.” You don’t say. That said, a photo circulating this week – showing Steidten sat with Potter – is reportedly an old one. More than a few days old, anyway.

Lopetegui’s sacking is, unfortunately, the right decision for a club whose aim is European football. While Moyes’s two tenures were often uninspiring, the latter featured three European campaigns and one trophy, and Lopetegui was meant to sustain that level while seasoning the on-field flavour a little more deftly. It was always possible that a difficult period of adaptation would ensue, but it was not supposed to be this difficult: heralding just six Premier League wins from 20 games, as the Hammers leaked 39 goals, leaving them in 14th place – seven points off the drop.

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Julen Lopetegui (left) is expected to be replaced by Graham Potter at West Ham (PA)

Of course, it was not all Lopetegui’s fault. The former Spain and Real Madrid boss, 58, was accompanied by signings who have underperformed, with Niclas Fullkrug the poster boy of another misguided transfer window at the club. You could say West Ham have had little luck with strikers in recent years, but signing one who is the “wrong side of 30” off the back of two goals at the Euros? That feels less like bad luck and more like a lack of nous.

So, an oft-criticised board and increasingly criticised technical director played their roles in Lopetegui’s downfall – which almost saw him fired twice before this week – and now they are tasked with appointing the right man. Potter might be that man. He might have even been that man last summer too.

West Ham fans seem cool on the former Brighton and Chelsea coach, particularly after his spell with the latter club underwhelmed so severely. He survived with the Blues from September 2022 until April 2023, leaving them 11th in the league and earning just 11 wins from 31 games in all competitions. Another key stat from that stint, however, was his team’s abysmal differential on xG (expected goals). Admittedly, Chelsea were not creating a great number of chances, but their conversion was atrocious and not directly Potter’s fault.

Regardless, he should have the know-how to steer a talented West Ham squad clear of a relegation battle. Perhaps the 49-year-old was holding out for the England job – or another shot with an even bigger club – but this feels a fitting role for him. In other words: this is about as good as it could get for Potter, right now.

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Potter at West Ham’s London Stadium, during his time as Chelsea coach (PA Archive)

At his disposal are the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Crysencio Summerville and Lucas Paqueta in attack, Carlos Soler on loan from PSG in midfield, and Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka among the defenders. Importantly, however, he will be without Jarrod Bowen for some weeks, courtesy of the captain’s foot fracture, while stalwart fellow forward Michail Antonio is out indefinitely following his recent car crash. There may be early hurdles, but Potter should be more than capable of navigating them and ushering in wider improvements before the end of the season.

Of his approach, Potter once said: “I want a tactically flexible, attacking, possession-based team. Players that are brave, that aren’t afraid to make mistakes [...] If the players are enjoying their football, there’s a chance that the supporters will enjoy it. That’s how you grow and develop as a club. Styles of play don’t make you win games; the challenge is having players believe in it.”

West Ham have been far from brave or flexible this season, so good luck to Potter. And what of West Ham’s efforts to “grow and develop as a club”? Despite flings with European football and a smooch with a trophy, those efforts have not quite borne the desired fruit, and that is partly the result of failed experiments with managers.

It seems the West Ham board never really know if they want to play it safe or not. Deep down, maybe they are not even sure what to make of Potter, who – for better or worse – seems the safest bet available right now.