Graham Potter faces West Ham sack: Replacement talks already in full swing

Tom Weber

• Updated: 20 Sept 2025 17:44 BST
• 4 min read

Breaking

Graham Potter could find himself out of a job soon after West Ham were defeated by Crystal Palace.

The 50-year-old has failed to improve the Hammers' fortunes since taking over in January. After finishing 14th last season, West Ham have so far only won once in the Premier League: the 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest that cost Nuno Espirito Santo his job.

The other four games have all been lost, leaving the East London club languishing in 18th. Earlier on Saturday, Potter's men were defeated 2-1 by Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace at the London Stadium.

According to Ben Jacobs, this latest defeat has turned the pressure on Potter up to 11, and he is now at serious risk of losing his job. A three-man shortlist of potential replacements has been drawn up, and talks with one target have already taken place.

Ironically, the man in question is the aforementioned Nuno, who met with vice-chairman Karren Brady earlier this week to discuss potentially taking over from Potter.

West Ham also considering Bilic and O'Neil

The other two names currently under consideration are Slaven Bilic and Gary O'Neil. The former, who previously coached from 2017 to 2019, is said to be the favoured option of chairman David Sullivan.

The 57-year-old former Hammers player has been out of a job since August 2024 when his contract at Saudi side Al-Fateh was terminated by mutual agreement.

O'Neil, meanwhile, was sacked by Wolves in December after seemingly losing control of the dressing room, which culminated in several on-pitch confrontations.

The 42-year-old previously also coached Bournemouth. Like Bilic, he is a former West Ham player, having played for the club in the early 2010s. It remains to be seen how much time, if any, Potter will be given after this latest defeat.

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