West Ham announce Graham Potter as new head coach
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The 49-year-old replaces Julen Lopetegui, who was dismissed after just six months in charge. West Ham have announced that Graham Potter will be their new head coach after the club sacked former manager Julen Lopetegui. Potter has agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal and will take charge of the team for the first time during Friday’s FA Cup third round fixture at Aston Villa.
![[Graham Potter has been unveiled as the new West Ham head coach]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/09/04/db2b7079e9462f09d33ea83944903234Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM2NDYxNjc5-2.78642469.jpg)
The 49-year-old makes his return to management 21 months after being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 following a successful spell as manager of Brighton & Hove Albion. Negotiations over the contract took place over two days earlier this week and were held up by both parties debating the length of the deal.
“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. “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.
“West Ham is a huge club, at the heart of London, with a tremendous fanbase and great support all around the world. I saw the scenes that followed their Europa Conference League victory in 2023 and it was clear that this is a club with everything in place to become consistently successful, both on and off the pitch.
