Hammer time! West Ham appoint Graham Potter to replace Julen Lopetegui as head coach on two-and-a-half-year deal

West Ham announced the departure of Lopetegui on Wednesday afternoon following the Irons' thrashings at the hands of Manchester City and Liverpool. West Ham currently sit 14th in the Premier League standings, seven points clear of the relegation spots. Lopetegui had only joined the London side in May after replacing David Moyes in the summer.

West Ham have now announced that Potter is set to take charge at London Stadium and has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the club. The former Brighton boss was highly rated as one of the best English managers during his stint with the Seagulls, however, after an under-par season with Chelsea, the 49-year-old has been away from the coaching circuit for just under 21 months.

Speaking to West Ham's club media, Potter said: “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 was joining. That is the feeling I have with West Ham United.

“West Ham 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 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."

The former Chelsea and Brighton manager will not have a lot of time to work with the West Ham squad before he has to take to the touchline as the Hammers are set to take on Aston Villa on Friday, January 10 in the third round of the FA Cup.