Graham Potter has signed the contract which confirms him as the new manager of West Ham United, Sky Sports News was said.
West Ham have called a press conference on Thursday morning at 9am at the London Stadium.
Potter – who could take charge of a tough FA Cup third round at Aston Villa on Friday – is set to return to management 20 months after being sacked by Chelsea, just seven months and 31 matches into a five-year deal .
The time has come for Potter
Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol:
“He was waiting for West Ham to do what they did and part ways with Lopetegui.
“The timing works for both. West Ham need a bit of stability at the moment. It’s a good choice because Graham Potter wants a project. He is ready to return to management.
“I think the owners and fans will appreciate his brand of football, the fact that he promotes youth, the fact that he likes a progressive style.
“But can he achieve this instant success? Five of his next seven Premier League matches are London derbies – and in the middle of those is a return to Stamford Bridge.”
“Sports director Steidten will be under surveillance”
Dharmesh Sheth, Sky Sports News journalist:
“I think there will be a lot of eyes on athletic director Tim Steidten.
“Julen Lopetegui was the unanimous choice of the board to take over as manager of West Ham; if you speak to some fans they felt a bit let down by the appointment. Now that he’s gone you’d think that ‘There’s going to be a bit of pressure on Steidten.
“They spent over £100 million in the summer, and he played a pivotal role in that recruitment. By definition, because Lopetegui left, you can almost call those first weeks a failure and what they looked like in the transfer window.
“In terms of this transfer window, I think it will be really interesting to see the kind of deals West Ham make and even more scrutiny of their sporting director.”
West Ham’s next five matches
January 10: Aston Villa (a), FA Cup, kick-off 8 p.m.
January 14: Fulham (h), Premier League, kick-off 7:30 p.m.
January 18: Crystal Palace (h), Premier League, kick-off 3 p.m.
January 26: Aston Villa (a), Premier League, live Aerial sportskick-off at 4:30 p.m.
February 3: Chelsea (a), Premier League, live Aerial sportskick-off at 8 p.m.
