West Ham have wasted little time in making a change, sacking Graham Potter after just eight months and turning to Nuno Espirito Santo in a desperate bid to lift their season.
Potter’s reign ended on Saturday morning with the club rooted in 19th place, a return of three points from their first five league games proving too little for a restless board and fanbase. His final act came in Friday’s press conference, where he insisted he had backing, only to learn the opposite 24 hours later.
The Hammers issued a statement that results and performances across the last two seasons had not met expectations. It was a blunt assessment, but one that echoed the frustration inside the London Stadium. Supporters had already staged protests against the board before the loss to Crystal Palace that sealed his fate.
Nuno, 51, steps in with a mixed recent record. He was dismissed by Nottingham Forest earlier this month after just three games but left on the back of guiding them to seventh last season, their best finish in three decades. That European spot showed his ability to deliver against the odds, something West Ham badly need.
Potter’s numbers made for grim reading. Just six wins in 25 matches, a slide to 14th last term, and an early Carabao Cup exit this season added to the gloom. Despite heavy summer spending of £126m, including Mateus Fernandes from Southampton, the squad looked short of belief and cohesion.
The departure of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham left a creative void, one Potter never managed to fill. Losses to Sunderland, Chelsea, Spurs, Palace, and Wolves deepened the crisis, while the online ridicule only underlined his struggles. Even he admitted he could only laugh it off.
Nuno is expected to possibly be in place before Monday’s trip to Everton, a game that already feels like a turning point. West Ham will hope the Portuguese coach can inject fresh energy and tactical steel into a side running low on both.
