The silence was deafening from West Ham’s squad when Julen Lopetegui was sacked and key stars are already raving about Graham Potter.
When Julen Lopetegui was finally relieved of his duties by West Ham, the reaction of the players said everything.
Only captain Jarrod Bowen posted a farewell message to Lopetegui as the Hammers pulled the trigger.
As far as most were concerned, it was three months too late.
Lopetegui’s time at West Ham was marred by bust-ups with players.
The 58-year-old had a much publicised row with Mohammed Kudus at Brentford.
The Spaniard also confirmed reports of an altercation with defender Jean-Clair Todibo were true.
Lopetegui is also said to have fallen out with Edson Alvarez among others.
It has since emerged that West Ham’s players were baffled by his tactics, struggled to understand his instructions and took umbrage to his taskmaster approach which saw very few days off.
There is no denying almost all of West Ham’s players failed to hit their best form under Lopetegui.
Even those who did perform to a decent standard like Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have improved under new manager Graham Potter.
Don Hutchison told Tony Cottee that West Ham’s training ground was dead under Lopetegui.
Top West Ham stars rave about Potter in blatant dig at Lopetegui
Video from West Ham shows that has already improved markedly under Potter.
So too have performances.
Lopetegui was the shortest serving permanent Hammers boss in the club’s history.
And it seems he has been quickly forgotten by fans and players amid vastly improved performances despite injuries wreaking havoc with Potter’s squad selections.
Supporters have been wondering if this is what Potter can do after just two-and-a-half weeks, imagine what the next two-and-a-half years might look like.
Now four top West Ham stars have raved about Potter in blatant digs at Lopetegui.
Wan-Bissaka has been one of West Ham’s best players since arriving for £15m in the summer.
The right-back has looked even better since Potter’s arrival, though.
Wan-Bissaka has made it clear the team had difficulty understanding what Lopetegui wanted and was trying to do as he praised Potter for making things more organised and positive.
![Graham Potter, head coach of West Ham United, celebrates a goal in the 98th minute that is later disallowed for offside during the Premier League ...](https://cdn1.hammers.news/uploads/25/2025/01/GettyImages-2196070258-1024x683.jpg)
Wan-Bissaka and Paqueta loving Hammers life under Potter
“I’m enjoying it (under Potter),” Wan-Bissaka told West Ham’s website.
“It’s organised. We know what to do. We go off each other.
“I see a lot of positives in training. The team, we want it as much as anyone else and we have the fans to back us as well. It’s just about putting in the effort on game days and getting the result.”
Lucas Paqueta is another Hammers star whose performances have been night and day following Lopetegui’s sacking.
The Brazilian was man of the match in the draw at Villa last time out.
And he clearly puts improved performances down to the positive change Potter has brought to the club.
“I’ve been trying to listen to the manager, and always I give my best to help the team,” Paqueta told West Ham’s website.
“He (Potter) has brought new ideas to the team, and good ideas.
“We are trying to improve things week after week, and I think we are starting to see the work pay off.”
Another leading West Ham star is Tomas Soucek, in more ways than one.
The stand-in skipper would run through brick walls for any manager.
![Graham Potter, Head Coach of West Ham United, acknowledges the fans after the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and West Ham United FC at...](https://cdn1.hammers.news/uploads/25/2025/01/GettyImages-2196069023-1024x681.jpg)
Soucek and Alvarez say Potter’s ideas will turn West Ham around
But even Soucek says the clarity Potter has brought to training and tactics is making a massive impact.
“I would say (Villa) is the best performance under the new manager,” Soucek told West Ham’s official site.
“We can see (what he wants us to do) at the training ground as his message is very clear how he wants to keep the ball and press the opponent.
“It depends on the team we are playing against, but as players we know the approach and we practice at the training ground all the time and if I see this progress like I saw on Sunday I will be happy as we’ll keep improving.”
Completing the quartet of key stars gushing about their new boss is Alvarez.
The Mexican was one of West Ham’s worst performers under Lopetegui.
It was clear Alvarez was not a fan of his former boss from the public dissent he showed towards him on more than one occasion when substituted.
The pair also blanked one another when Alvarez was twice sent off earlier this season.
Not all of the blame lays with Lopetegui for the poor performances of course.
Alvarez ‘surprised’ by how good Potter is
But his tactics left West Ham – and Alvarez in particular – completely exposed as the Hammers suffered one hiding after another.
Alvarez got a lovely assist for West Ham’s goal in the 1-1 draw at Villa and his performances have been slowly improving under Potter.
The midfielder admits he has been pleasantly surprised by Potter and is the latest West Ham player to point out the new found clarity since Lopetegui’s sacking has made all the difference.
“To be honest he (Potter) has surprised me, and the ideas he’s introduced have been very clear,” Alvarez told West Ham’s website.
“In my opinion this is just the beginning, because he has so many more ideas, but we want to keep going step-by-step.”
How refreshing for West Ham fans to hear after a year of woeful performances and results.
The future looks bright.
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