West Ham has named Graham Potter, former Chelsea manager, as its new head coach, SAVANNAH NEWSNOW REPORTS
The 49-year-old has agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Hammers, and is no stranger to English football having previously managed Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion before leaving Chelsea in 2023.
“West Ham United is delighted to welcome Graham Potter as the club’s new head coach. The 49-year-old joins the Hammers on a two-and-a-half-year contract and will take charge of his new team for the first time when the Irons travel to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Friday evening.
“A highly-respected and sought-after coach, Potter has been awaiting the right opportunity after leaving his last role at Chelsea in April 2023 and was the Board’s unanimous choice to take the club forward in line with its objectives and ambitions.
“Potter, whose progressive style and flexible tactical approach previously impressed at Swedish club Östersund, Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion, has a passion for a return to Premier League management and is relishing the opportunity to work with West Ham United’s talented squad of international players,” the club statement read on Thursday.
In his statement, Potter expressed excitement about returning to English domestic football, stating that the timing was right for him.
He pledged to build on the club’s foundation to create a team that supporters would be proud of. Potter said, “I’m delighted to be here. I waited for a job that felt right for me, and equally, that I was the right fit for the club. That’s the feeling I have with West Ham United.”
“My conversations with the Chairman and the Board have been very positive and constructive, we share the same values of hard work and high energy to create the solid foundations that can produce success, and we are on the same wavelength in terms of what is needed in the short-term and then how we want to move the club forward in the medium to long term.
“West Ham United is a huge club, at the heart of London, with a tremendous fanbase and great support all around the world. I saw the scenes that followed their Europa Conference League victory in 2023 and it was clear that this is a club with everything in place to become consistently successful, both on and off the pitch.
“The club has made a lot of good progress in recent years and ensured there are some very strong foundations in place to build on. 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.”
Potter will be accompanied at West Ham by his assistant coach, Bruno, as well as first-team coaches Billy Reid and Narcís Pèlach, among others.
Having studied for a Master’s degree after a 14-year playing career with clubs such as Birmingham City, Southampton, West Bromwich Albion, and Stoke City, Potter has long been regarded as one of the brightest coaching minds in English football.
Following a playing career, Potter began his coaching career with university students before becoming the manager of Östersund in 2010, leading the Swedish club to three promotions in five seasons, winning the Swedish Cup, and reaching the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League, where they defeated Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
Potter’s Scandinavian exploits led Swansea to appoint him in summer 2018. Following a successful year in South Wales, he took the reins at Brighton and guided the Seagulls to a record-high ninth-place finish in the 2020/21 Premier League season.
Potter’s impressive results and style on the south coast earned him a move to Chelsea in September 2022, although he departed Stamford Bridge in April 2023. After 18 months of studying the game and working in the media, Potter is set to return to the technical area with West Ham.
The club sacked Julen Lopetegui on Wednesday after just 22 games in charge, with a 4-1 loss to Manchester City proving the final straw. West Ham currently sit 14th in the EPL table, seven points above the relegation zone, having secured just six wins in 20 league matches under Lopetegui.
