Potter under pressure as West Ham slump to Palace; replacements linked
Loss leaves 18th-placed Hammers as club reportedly weighs options including Bilic and Santo
Graham Potter is under mounting pressure at West Ham after a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace left the club 18th in the Premier League. Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell scored as Palace beat West Ham at the London Stadium. The result intensified scrutiny on the Hammers' manager as fans chanted for him to go.
Potter said he still had the board's backing, but acknowledged the environment and results are difficult. 'I understand the environment, I understand the results. I have no complaints at all about the support that we’ve had, from supporters, from everyone at the club. It’s a tough moment, for sure. Everyone connected to the club feels that [under pressure] because the situation is not what we want, the results aren’t good,' he said. Senior sources told Daily Mail Sport that the club have already begun to line up potential replacements, with former boss Slaven Bilic and ex-Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo among those discussed.
West Ham have won six of 25 matches since replacing Julen Lopetegui in January, a record that would make Potter the third manager to lose his job in the last 16 months at the club, following Moyes and Lopetegui. Ahead lie tough trips to Moyes’s Everton and then Arsenal before the October international break.
West Ham supporters also protested ownership before the clash, adding to the tense atmosphere surrounding the team. Potter’s substitution choices during the match drew boos as he withdrew Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville, fueling a sense of discontent among sections of the home crowd. Asked about the reaction, Potter said he did not hear it. 'I didn’t hear anything,' he said. 'I understand the frustration, people are entitled to their opinion, but there’s nothing I can say.'
With the club’s long-term plans under scrutiny, the coming weeks will be pivotal as results slip further from the expected standard and the next fixtures loom ahead of the October international window.