West Ham United is excited to welcome Graham Potter as its new head coach. The 49-year-old joins the Hammers on a two-and-a-half-year contract and will lead his new squad for the first time when they go to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Friday evening.
A highly respected and sought-after coach in the English League, Potter has been waiting for the right opportunity since leaving his last job at Chelsea in April 2023, and he was chosen by the board to lead the club forward following its objectives and ambitions.
Potter, whose progressive style and flexible tactical approach previously impressed at Swedish club Östersund, Swansea City, and Brighton & Hove Albion, has a passion for a return to Premier League management and is relishing the opportunity to work with West Ham United’s talented squad of international players,” the statement read.
Potter expressed his delight at his return to the English Premier League, saying that the transfer occurred at an ideal time for him. He promised to build on the club’s foundation to create a team that fans could be proud of.
During an interview with Potter, he stated, “I’m thrilled to be here.” It was important to me to wait until a job became available that I felt was a good fit for me, as well as the club I was joining. That is how I feel about West Ham United. We share the same values of hard work and high energy to build the strong foundations that can produce success, and we are in agreement about what is required in the short term and how we want to move the club forward in the medium to long term. These discussions have been very positive and constructive with the chairman and the board”.
“Located in the center of London, West Ham United is a massive club with an enormous global fan following. I witnessed the celebrations after their 2023 Europa Conference League triumph, and it was evident that this team had what it took to succeed on and off the field regularly.”
In recent years, the club has made an important step and made sure that some solid foundations are in place for future growth. The job now is to take that on and build the following steps to create a team and a club that the supporters can be proud of. You don’t win a European trophy by accident; a football club needs a solid foundation for that to happen.
Alongside Potter at the Hammers will be his assistant coach, Bruno, as well as first-team coaches Billy Reid and Narcís Pèlach. After a 14-year playing career with teams including Birmingham City, Southampton, West Bromwich Albion, and Stoke City, Potter pursued a master’s degree and has long been regarded as one of the best coaching minds in the English game.
Potter, who was born in Solihull, started teaching college students before accepting his first managerial position at Östersund in 2010. After defeating Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, he won the Swedish Cup, guided the Swedish team to three promotions in five seasons to the top division, and advanced to the UEFA Europa League knockout rounds.
In the summer of 2018, Potter was appointed by Swansea as a result of his adventures in Scandinavia. Following an impressive season in South Wales, he took over at Brighton the following year, where he guided the Seagulls to a then-record-breaking ninth-place Premier League finish in 2020–21.
After making an impression on the south coast with his style and results, Potter left Stamford Bridge in April 2023 to join Chelsea in September 2022. He has been studying the game and working in the media for the past 18 months, and now he is prepared to rejoin West Ham’s coaching staff.
After just 22 games in charge, the club fired former manager Julen Lopetegui on Wednesday. For club executives, a 4-1 thrashing at champion Manchester City on Saturday was the last straw.
After only six victories in 20 league games under the Spaniard’s leadership, the Hammers are currently seven points above the relegation zone in 14th place in the Premier League standings.
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