West Ham Sack Manager Graham Potter After Poor Start to Season

West Ham United have sacked manager Graham Potter, the Premier League club announced on Saturday. The Hammers sit 19th in the table with just three points from their opening five matches.

“Results and performances in the second half of last season and at the start of the 2025/26 campaign have fallen short of expectations,” the club said in a statement. “The board believes a change is necessary to quickly improve the team’s position in the Premier League.”

West Ham have endured a torrid start, suffering heavy defeats to Chelsea (5-1), Tottenham Hotspur (3-0), and newly promoted Sunderland (3-0), before losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace last weekend. The club have conceded 13 goals in five games—the most in the division.

Fan unrest grows
Before the Palace defeat, thousands of supporters staged protests against the way the club is being run, directing much of their anger at chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady.

Potter, who was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, was appointed by West Ham in January to replace Julen Lopetegui. However, he managed only five wins from 20 Premier League games, with the team finishing 14th last season.

The 50-year-old became the first West Ham manager to fail to reach double figures in points from his first 10 home league fixtures.

Key departures
The summer transfer window saw several experienced players depart, including Aaron Cresswell, Vladimír Coufal, Danny Ings, Michail Antonio and Kurt Zouma. Forward Mohammed Kudus also joined London rivals Tottenham in a £55 million move.

West Ham spent around £70 million on reinforcements, bringing in full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf, goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, and striker Callum Wilson.

Potter is the second Premier League manager to lose his job this season after Nuno Espírito Santo left Nottingham Forest. Among the names linked to replace him is a Portuguese coach, according to British media reports.

West Ham travel to Everton on Monday, where they will face former boss David Moyes, who left the Hammers in 2024 despite guiding them to the UEFA Conference League title—the club’s first major silverware in 43 years.

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