Graham Potter has been confirmed as Julen Lopetegui’s successor and has compared joining West Ham to “Christmas for adults” while explaining how excited he is to get started.
The 49-year-old takes over from Lopetegui, who was sacked on Wednesday afternoon after winning just six of his 20 Premier League matches in charge, leaving the club 14th in the Premier League.
Potter, who had interest from Everton with the pressure growing on their boss Sean Dyche, had been out of management since leaving Chelsea in April 2023 having previously been in charge of Brighton, Swansea and Swedish side Ostersunds.
Lopetegui took West Ham training on Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of Friday’s FA Cup tie with Aston Villa. Sources close to Lopetegui understand he was surprised and frustrated by the situation around his future.
West Ham also held interviews with Paulo Fonseca, who left AC Milan last month, and Christophe Galtier, who currently manages Qatari side Al Duhail, but opted for Potter after holding further positive talks on Tuesday.
The new Hammers boss said: “Very excited, very proud day to be head coach of this amazing club.
“It’s a big tradition, big history, big expectation. A big challenge. It’s a bit like Christmas for the adults. Excited, not the best of sleeps last night just from excitement. Looking forward to meeting the players, meeting our supporters and getting going.”
He continued: “I am delighted to be here. It was important to me that I waited until a job came along that I felt was right for me and equally that I was the right fit for the club I am joining. That is the feeling I have with West Ham.
“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.”
Potter will be joined at the London Stadium by assistant coach Bruno, first-team coaches Billy Reid and Narcis Pelach. Goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero will continue in his role.
“West Ham is a huge club at the heart of London, with a tremendous fanbase and great support all around the world,” Potter added. “I saw the scenes that followed their 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 have 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.”
Source: Sky Sports
