West Ham sack Graham Potter after nine months in charge

Graham Potter has been dismissed by West Ham after only nine months.

Former Chelsea boss Potter was relieved of his duties just two days out from West Ham’s match against Everton.

The Hammers faithful turned on Potter during last weekend’s defeat to Crystal Palace and the club’s owners have acted with West Ham on the hunt for a fourth manager during the last 18 months.

A statement from the club read: “West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Graham Potter has left the Club.

“Results and performances over the course of the second half of last season and the start of the 2025/26 season have not matched expectations, and the Board of Directors believe that a change is necessary in order to help improve the team’s position in the Premier League as soon as possible.

“The Club can confirm that Assistant Coach Bruno Saltor, First Team Coaches Billy Reid and Narcis Pelach, Lead Goalkeeper Coach Casper Ankergren, and Goalkeeper Coach Linus Kandolin have also left with immediate effect.

“The Board would like to thank Graham and his coaching staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.

“The process of appointing a replacement is underway. The Club will be making no further comment at this time.”

West Ham turned to Potter at the start of 2025 after Julen Lopetegui – the successor of long-serving boss David Moyes – lasted only 22 matches.

Lopetegui was sacked after heavy defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City, but won seven of his fixtures in charge – a slight improvement on Potter’s final record.

Potter accepted West Ham’s advances in January after he turned down multiple job proposals during a near two-year spell out of management following his dismissal by Chelsea.

After a chastening 31-game spell in west London, Potter travelled across the capital and whilst his West Ham debut ended in an FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa, a 3-2 home win over Fulham in his first league fixture provided the type of thrill which had been missing at London Stadium.

Three losses in four followed before a statement victory away to Arsenal proved a false dawn as the Hammers finished the campaign with only two wins from their last 11 league matches.

Potter would have banked on a strong summer to kickstart his reign, but the departure of Mohammed Kudus to rivals Tottenham for £55million heightened fans’ frustration.

The unrest of the West Ham supporters’ failed to ease after a flurry of signings during the final weeks of the transfer window coincided with heavy defeats to Sunderland and Chelsea in August.

A 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest last month provided some respite, but West Ham went down by the same score to Tottenham after the September international break and another London loss to Crystal Palace last weekend proved the final straw for Potter.

“I am incredibly disappointed to be leaving West Ham United Football Club, particularly without being able to achieve what we set out to achieve at the start of our journey in East London. I do however fully acknowledge that the results have just not been good enough up to now,” Potter said in a statement via the LMA.

“Firstly, thank you to the board for offering me the opportunity to manage the team during the past eight months. It was an honour and a privilege to manage such a historic club, which holds such strong values for footballing traditions and passion for the game.

“I’d like to thank all the staff at the club who made me feel so welcome, the playing squad and their continued efforts during my time – and lastly the fans, who have been so supportive during what has been a difficult journey at times.”