West Ham told to consider Frank Lampard as Graham Potter replacement despite infamous fall-out and fans' 'fat' chants

With tricky trips looming against Everton and Arsenal before the next international break, whispers of managerial change are growing louder at the London Stadium. Reports suggest the club’s hierarchy have already considered options like Nuno Espirito Santo and Slaven Bilic as potential successors.

Despite the rough start, Potter is not without support. The Telegraphreported that several senior players have publicly and privately backed the English coach, urging the board to allow him more time to turn the season around. While fan dissatisfaction is audible, the squad appears united behind their manager’s vision.

Lampard’s name has emerged as a candidate to replace Potter. Potter's stint at Chelsea in 2023 ended in controversy after a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, with him being replaced by Lampard in an interim capacity. The former midfielder struggled in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, losing six games and leaving a mixed impression on fans. Despite this, Pat Nevin argues that Lampard deserves a serious shot at the job, looking beyond the Stamford Bridge fiasco and his chequered past with West Ham fans, who have chanted that he is 'fat' ever since he left east London for west back in 2001.

In an interview with Escapist Magazine, he said: "There are lots of West Ham fans that wouldn't accept Frank Lampard because they have booed him forever. Calling him fat Frank forever. All the years I saw it, I always felt terrible because Frank, I don't think he ever said a bad word against West Ham. It was just that he left.

"Plenty of players leave clubs. He'd done quite well when he left. It wasn’t a bad decision for Frank in his career. He wouldn't have been lifting Champions League trophies and all sorts of trophies. He'd have done well because he'd have helped West Ham be a better team, but he was going to something extra special when he went to that Chelsea team which was growing in their world power. So yeah, I can understand why they were miffed and annoyed because he was one of them, but he did grow to love and become Chelsea. There's no doubt about that with Frank."

Nevin believes the initial fan criticism would fade if Lampard hit the ground running.

"I still don't think that should stop West Ham supporters taking him on because he's a good manager. He's a very good manager. Derby done well," he insisted.

"I thought in retrospect that he was harshly treated at Chelsea - I thought he did a good job. He kept Everton up which was not easy at the time. And you ask people at Everton, they loved him. They absolutely loved him. Even the fans, even though they were struggling, he got every player, all the people behind him, even the staff.

"He’s done OK at Coventry I think - it's been alright. And he's shown that he's in there for the battle. He's had the Chelsea job, he's had the Everton job, he's had the Chelsea job twice. But it's not beneath him to go and get the hands dirty at Coventry. So that's a guy who wants to work, he cares about it, he loves it. I just don’t know how Frank would feel about the West Ham job. There'd be a wee bit of stick at the start, but I'll make you a promise, if he won the first three or four games, the stick would go."

Before any potential changes, Potter has a final opportunity to steady the ship. The Hammers face back-to-back away fixtures against Everton on September 30 and Arsenal on October 4.