West Ham: Graham Potter replacing David Moyes would not come without risk
West Ham appear set for a change of manager this summer, with The Telegraph reporting David Moyes is poised for an exit and Graham Potter is reportedly among the frontrunners to take his place – but it is far from a risk-free move.
Moyes returned for his second – and, as yet, ongoing – spell at West Ham in December 2019, the same year that Potter took over at Brighton, though he did so in the summer preceding the 2019/20 campaign.
The Scot inherited an ailing side looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone but managed to keep the Hammers afloat, finishing 16th, two places and five points clear of the drop.
The practical aims of that campaign were achieved, though there was little feel-good factor about avoiding the drop.
However, that season by no means foreshadowed what was to come, with West Ham rocketing into a sixth-place Premier League finish in 2020/21, just two points off the top four.
A seventh-placed finish followed the year after, alongside a run to the semi-finals of the Europa League – where they were knocked out by eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt – and last year’s disappointing slip down to 14th in the league was offset by winning the Europa Conference League – the club’s first silverware since 1980.
This term, West Ham occupy seventh spot in the Premier League and are into the quarter-finals of the Europa League – meaning they have now reached this stage of a European competition for three successive seasons.
The success enjoyed in the last three-and-a-half campaigns was unthinkable when Moyes’ men limped to Premier League survival in 2019/20 and while the style of football on offer has not often been as expansive as fans would like, it is fair to be concerned that a replacement has no guarantee of exceeding – or even replicating – what has been achieved in recent years with a more possession-dominant brand of football.
Graham Potter deserves acclaim – but West Ham should note his record is not blemish-free
For reference, Potter’s reputation was boosted most significantly by his time as Brighton boss, where he implemented an attractive style of play and lifted the club’s reputation significantly.
He is rightly lauded for what he achieved at the Amex Stadium, but it is also interesting to note that he and his side finished 15th, 16th and ninth in his three years in charge – behind Moyes’ Hammers in the latter two of those three campaigns and ahead of them by only a place in the relegation-threatened 2019/20 season.
It is possible that, under a new manager, West Ham will go on to scale even greater heights while implementing an eye-catching brand of football – but if things go wrong, fans will surely miss the good times that have been enjoyed under Moyes.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers would only accept an “extraordinary offer” for their star defender.
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