Graham Potter breaks silence on West Ham sacking, sends message to fans after difficult final days

Graham Potter has broken his silence after West Ham United confirmed his departure, with Nuno Espirito Santo appointed to take over ahead of Monday’s Premier League trip to Everton. In a statement released through the League Managers Association, the 50-year-old Englishman said he was incredibly disappointed to be leaving West Ham United Football Club, particularly without being able to achieve what we set out to achieve at the start of our journey in East London. I do however fully acknowledge that the results have just not been good enough up to now. "Firstly, thank you to the board for offering me the opportunity to manage the team during the past 8 months. It was an honour and a privilege to manage such a historic club, which holds such strong values for footballing traditions and passion for the game." He added: "I'd like to thank all the staff at the club who made me feel so welcome, the playing squad and their continued efforts during my time - and lastly the fans, who have been so supportive during what has been a difficult journey at times." "I wish the club nothing but the best of luck for the future. Thank you and goodbye for now. Come on you irons. GP X."

West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Graham Potter has left the Club. Results and performances over the course of the second half of last season and the start of the 2025/26 season have not matched expectations, and the Board of Directors believe that a change is necessary in order to help improve the team’s position in the Premier League as soon as possible. Potter's side were languishing in 19th in the table when the axe fell on him. The Club can confirm that Assistant Coach Bruno Saltor, First Team Coaches Billy Reid and Narcis Pelach, Lead Goalkeeper Coach Casper Ankergren, and Goalkeeper Coach Linus Kandolin have also left with immediate effect. The Board would like to thank Graham and his coaching staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future. West Ham had only won once this season under Potter after being walloped 3-0 away at newly-promoted Sunderland to set the tone on opening day. That was followed by a 5-1 home hammering by Chelsea and an EFL Cup exit at the hands of Wolves before the momentary optimism of the win at Forest was snuffed out by Tottenham and Crystal Palace winning at London Stadium. West Ham's only victory this season came against Forest, beating their new manager's old side 3-0 in what proved to be his last game at the City Ground.

Potter’s final weeks at West Ham were defined by a mix of pressure and tough results, and in a final press appearance this week he spoke about the scrutiny he faced and acknowledged the results were not good enough, though he said talks with the hierarchy had been positive. "It doesn’t affect me. I don’t listen to that. It’s your job, and other people’s jobs, to create speculation and it’s part of the noise of the Premier League; it’s what you sign up for." "So if results aren’t good, which they haven’t been and no one is shying away from that, the results aren’t what we want, then there’s always speculation." "There’s always noise, there’s always negativity, and there’s nothing to complain about from my perspective." "We’ve had positive talks but we all understand where we are at and we want to improve." "As I said before, no one is happy with where we are at, but at the same time you have to look at the context and the situation and not get caught up in the noise." He also addressed online fan memes, noting that while some memes were mocking him, they had a personal impact only on his family. "It made my 15-year-old son laugh a lot so, as I said, you have to accept what comes with it. It comes with criticism, it comes with ridicule but that's just the environment we're in and it is what it is."

Potter joined West Ham with an eye on a more progressive style of play, but the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo signals a shift back toward a more pragmatic approach that served Forest well last season. The Hammers face a testing start under the new manager, with an away trip to Goodison Park followed by a visit from title-chasers Arsenal at the Emirates, as they seek to arrest a troubling run that has left them near the bottom of the table.