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Graham Potter took over from Julen Lopetegui in January; Potter set to be replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo; Potter removed just two days before Monday Night Football against Everton Saturday 27 September 2025 11: 52, UK Graham Potter has been sacked by West Ham after just nine months in charge - with Nuno Espirito Santo expected to replace him. There is confidence on both sides a deal can be agreed in time for Nuno to take charge of the side against Everton on Monday Night Football. Sky Sports News is reporting the Portuguese coach will take training with the squad on Saturday afternoon. Potter, who replaced Julen Lopetegui as head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract in January, has been unable to turn the fortunes around at the London Stadium, with the club second-bottom of the Premier League. A club statement on Saturday morning - two days before their game at Everton - 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. " West Ham said the process of appointing a replacement was "underway", with Nuno having left Nottingham Forest less than three weeks ago. Potter was sacked after winning just six of 23 Premier League games.

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West Ham finished last term in the same 14th position they were when Potter replaced Lopetegui, but this season the club have recorded just three points from five league games, with Saturday's 2-1 home loss to Crystal Palace proving the final straw. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Analysis by Sky Sports' Peter Smith: Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui in January, but West Ham have gone backwards since then. The former Brighton and Chelsea boss struggled to deliver consistent performances in the second half of last season as West Ham limped to a 14th-placed finish - the spot Lopetegui had left them in. They are now 19th and any hope of a boost from a pre-season with Potter and a squad overhaul this summer has already vanished. The stats make grim reading for Potter. There have been just six wins in his 23 Premier League games - and only three in the last 16. In fact, Potter finishes his tenure with a worse win percentage than Lopetegui - and only marginally better than Avram Grant's record low for a West Ham boss in the Premier League. A winless run stretching to eight games at the London Stadium increased the ire among the match-going Hammers fans, who have not seen their side be victorious in a game at home since late February, while the style of play under Potter frustrated them, too. Potter's West Ham was a team which allowed the opposition more passes before intervening than any other side in the top flight - and then ranked third-bottom for direct attacks up the pitch when they had it. It was certainly not edge-of-your-seat stuff. The real action happened when West Ham had to defend crosses or corners and their vulnerability in these situations raised questions about training-ground work done by Potter and his coaching staff to prepare for those moments. When Potter was asked if he was still the right man to lead West Ham, his reply following the Palace result was an adamant "of course". The majority in the stands did not have the same conviction, with Hammers fans joining in with the away supporters chanting 'sacked in the morning' at the under-fire boss. It wasn't quite that swift but, clearly, the board felt the same way too. Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol: "We were told on Thursday by a very senior source that the next West Ham manager was going to be Nuno Espirito Santo. Perhaps the timing would have been better to wait until the international break because West Ham have got this difficult game away at Everton, followed by a game away at Arsenal. But it looks like it's going to be Nuno taking over. Other names who were linked were Slaven Bilic, Gary O'Neil and Sean Dyche. "Our information all along was that Nuno was the number one target. The big question is: Is he the right man for the job? Because this is a massive job, there are problems off the pitch, and there are issues with the London Stadium. "It's undeniable that Nuno is a fantastic manager, but is he the right manager for West Ham? Will his style of football suit West Ham? "A lot of people in the game say Nuno is a fantastic manager when your side doesn't have the ball; he's good at counter-attacking football, but will that suit West Ham? Do West Ham have the kind of players that can play that football, or are they good enough defensively, like Nuno's sides at Forest and Wolves were? "We know he was the manager of Spurs for a short while, which didn't work, but if he does the kind of job he did at Forest, then he will potentially be a success. "The first thing he needs to do if he gets the job is sort West Ham out defensively, stop them from conceding so many corners and get them out of the relegation zone. " Super 6 are starting the season by guaranteeing a £1, 000, 000 winner! Play for free.

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