A report claims Graham Potter has agreed to become West Ham United’s new head coach after they confirmed Julen Lopetegui’s sacking
Graham Potter has agreed to become West Ham United’s new head coach, according to a report, after claims that he had been in talks with Everton. The Athletic state that he will sign a two-and-a-half-year deal after reporting previously in the day that that West Ham were progressing in their talks with Potter, before the club later confirmed the departure of Julen Lopetegui after six months in charge.
The Solihull-born tactician has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 and will return to Premier League management after a 21-month break. Lopetegui won seven of his 21 games at the helm since being appointed in the summer with Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester City their 10th of the campaign.
The article also states that Potter is set to take charge of West Ham for the first time on Friday as his side travel to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round and while he was not the only candidate who had been under consideration, he was the club’s preferred option in the event of a change of management taking place.
On Tuesday, Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports reported that developments over Potter were expected over the next 24 hours with the 49-year-old having met with senior officials at both Everton and West Ham on a number of occasions in recent months.
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Everton manager Sean Dyche was asked in his pre-match press conference to preview Thursday’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Peterborough United about speculation that the club’s new owners The Friedkin Group were reviewing his position and whether it should be scrutinised.
The Blues boss said: “To be clear, it should be. At the end of the day, if you’re a business of this size, and this club, succession plan should surely be part of their diligence.
“I’ve got no problem with that at all. I think that should be ongoing at every football club. It’s part of the business, surely? I’m sure it is in what we’d call ‘normal business life’, that is, outside of football.
“So, I never really concern myself with that. You’ve got to win games, we haven’t won enough this season, you’ve got to make sure the team is operating the right way, you’ve got to try and please everyone, all of the time.
“That’s the job, and we haven’t done that often enough, and it comes down to me, without any shadow of a doubt.”
