Paul Merson offers ‘Strange’ verdict as West Ham announce Graham Potter
Paul Merson has admitted he isn’t sure if Graham Potter is the right fit for the job at West Ham, describing the Hammers’ decision to make a managerial change now as a “strange” one.
The Hammers announced the appointment of the 49-year-old on Thursday (9 January) morning after the sacking of Julen Lopetegui after an inconsistent campaign.
Potter will get stuck straight in to his new role as the Irons take on Aston Villa in FA Cup action on Friday (10 January) evening.
Though many at The London Stadium are looking at the new appointment with excitement, Merson will have to be convinced as when asked if West Ham is the right fit for Potter on Sky Sports News,(9 January) he said: “I’m not sure. I think the expectations at West Ham are very very high, really high.
“I mean this man’s come in and within six months Lopetegui he’s out and I mean, how long do you want? You need a little bit more than that.
“I mean David Moyes played a certain way and you know this lad’s come in and he wanted to sort his team out, he’s been given six months and he’s out.
“I mean all of a sudden Graham Potter comes in. I like Graham, I like Graham, I just thought Chelea was too big for him at the time when he went to Chelsea but I thought he done a great job at Brighton.
“The problem is, is if they go and get beat by Aston Villa this weekend, that’s their season over. So it’s a strange one for me.”
Graham Potter new West Ham boss
Although Lopetegui was only given half of the season, it wasn’t a surprise to see the Spainiard dismissed from his job with the squad failing to get going this term.
Furthermore, given how much money was spent in the summer, there had to be some pressure on the manager to deliver as a result of this.
Potter looks like a great appointment for the Irons but you can understand Merson’s hesitations given the 49-year-old is someone that will need time in East London in order to get things going.
The former Chelsea boss will no doubt see his future as a long-term project and this has to be reflected by the hierarchy at The London Stadium.
Going straight into an FA Cup game is difficult, especially against a good Villa side because it could leave the Hammers with nothing left to play for this term.
However, if that did happen, it would be up to the new boss to show serious change between now and the end of the campaign to justify backing going into the summer transfer window.
In other West Ham news, West Ham have made a decision on the future of Edson Alvarez decision after Monaco approach.
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