Graham Potter approached by West Ham to be their new manager as Lopetegui’s future continues to hang by a thread.
Graham Potter is seriously considering the proposal to become the new manager of West Ham United.
Potter is considering accepting the offer after speaking with David Sullivan, the club’s biggest shareholder, on Monday night.
Although the Spaniard is reportedly on borrowed time, Lopetegui has not yet been formally fired. The former Wolves manager took over as manager in the summer after David Moyes left, and in his last two games, he has watched Liverpool and Manchester City suffer crushing losses.
This season, Lopetegui has been under a lot of strain after nearly losing his job last month. Although the 58-year-old is still in his position for the time being—West Ham will play Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Friday—his time at the London Stadium is running out.
Graham Potter knows the position is his if he wants it, but he hasn’t had a job since leaving Chelsea in April 2023. However, nothing has been confirmed yet, and there are still elements to work out. Lopetegui was given additional time after Potter, who also has fans at Everton, had talks with West Ham last month.
Following a day in which it was revealed that technical director Tim Steidten had been avoiding the training field following yet another breakdown in his relationship with Lopetegui, the former Brighton manager had a conversation with Sullivan.
According to several accounts, Lopetegui requested that Steidten skip training. West Ham has refuted this, claiming that the German was concentrating on the transfer window this month. It is difficult to see how Steidten and Lopetegui can collaborate going forward, though. For some months, Steidten, who is also under pressure, has been searching for a new boss.
Sérgio Conceição, a former target of West Ham, has joined Milan, and Edin Terzic, the former manager of Borussia Dortmund, is reportedly lukewarm with the idea of taking Lopetegui’s place. A move for the former Juventus coach is improbable due to concerns about Max Allegri’s English.
Last season, Lopetegui’s predecessor, Moyes, also ordered Steidten to avoid training. Steidten has an office at the training field and has come under fire for some of his signings.
Under Lopetegui, West Ham, currently in 14th place in the league and seven points above the bottom three, has conceded goals at a startling rate. Next week, they play important league home games against Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Last Saturday, the Hammers had several chances against City, but bad defence has made Lopetegui’s position weaker, and the attacking line has suffered from the loss of Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen, who has been sidelined for two months due to a fractured foot.
The team is searching for offensive players and is thinking about loaning out Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, who Fulham is also interested in. A transfer for Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka is a possibility, and Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan is also of interest. Despite having little money, West Ham also likes James McAtee, a young player from Manchester City.
Steidten, who was hired in the summer of 2023, is still actively involved in hiring, according to insiders. Although his position has not been diminished, he has lost favour with several employees as a result of enquiries over his performance. There have been questions raised over Steidten’s familiarity with English football, and it is believed that the board is being more involved in transfers this month.