Graham Potter details West Ham talks and explains reason for 20-month football absence
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A 'delighted' Graham Potter has explained why West Ham were the right club to end his near two-year absence from football. Potter, 49, hasn't been in the dugout since he was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, ending seven tumultuous months at Stamford Bridge. Once considered England's best up-and-coming coach, having turned Brighton from relegation battlers into European contenders, his disastrous spell under Chelsea's new ownership saw his stock take a major hit.
During his time out of management, ex-Swansea and Ostersunds boss Potter reportedly held talks with several clubs including Leicester, Wolves and Dutch giants Ajax. But it's West Ham who've taken his fancy, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract to replace Julen Lopetegui, who was sacked by the club on Tuesday following days of intense speculation.
"I am delighted to be here," Potter said. "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. That is the feeling I have with West Ham United. THE FA CUP GIANT KILLERS: Get your special edition magazine celebrating some of the game's greatest-ever upsets.
"My conversations with the Chairman and the Board have been very positive and constructive, we share the same values of hard work and high energy to create the solid foundations that can produce success, and we are on the same wavelength in terms of what is needed in the short-term and then how we want to move the Club forward in the medium to long-term.".
