January 9 – Graham Potter says he is looking forward to a “big challenge” after being confirmed as the new West Ham manager, 24 hours after Julen Lopetegui was fired.
The former Chelsea and Brighton boss has been appointed on a two-and-a-half year contract and returns to a managerial role for the first time since departing from Chelsea in April 2023, hoping to lift West Ham from 14th place where they sit just seven points above the relegation zone.
“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,” Potter said in a statement.
Lopetegui, the former Real Madrid and Spain national coach, paid the price for a poor run when his departure was confirmed on Wednesday. He was originally hired only last May after previous manager David Moyes ended West Ham’s 43-year wait for a major trophy by winning the Europa Conference League in 2023.
Potter said West Ham had “everything in place to become consistently successful, both on and off the pitch.”
“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,” he said.
“It’s an amazing club with a tremendous, loyal fanbase that is passionate, knowledgeable, knows their football and what they want. I think it’s a good fit.”
Potter enjoyed a reputation as one of England’s most tactically astute young managers after beginning his coaching career at Ostersunds in Sweden in 2011.
He took over at Swansea in 2018 and by 2022 was in charge of Chelsea after a highly successful stint at Brighton. But his reputation then took a hit and he lasted just six months.
West Ham said Potter was its “unanimous choice” and his first game will be on Friday at Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup.
“It’s been 20 months of a good rest, a good break and you can imagine in that time you speak to lots of people. Lots of conversations with different owners and different directors,” Potter added.
“My experience is that if you can build a team that is recognisable on the pitch, that the supporters identify with, are proud of and enjoy watching and you get that trust and connection between the players and the supporters, with everybody aligned, that’s the key.”
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