West Ham board soul-searching amid ‘Reckless’ appointment
John Cross has urged the West Ham board to do some “soul-searching” after sacking Julen Lopetegui and replacing him with Graham Potter.
Lopetegui’s sack felt like it was a long time coming with the Spaniard failing to deliver quality in either the style of play or the results at The London Stadium.
Potter was first linked to the Hammers at the start of December [GiveMeSport, 5 December] but it has taken David Sullivan until now to pull the trigger with the 49-year-old having signed a contract according to Fabrizio Romano (9 January).
Writing in the print edition of the Daily Mirror (9 January, page 56), Cross questioned the actions of the West Ham board as he said: “The lacklustre performances under Lopetegui could not have been further from the club’s values.
“There must be some soul-searching among the hierarchy after such an ill-judged and reckless appointment.
“West Ham courted Potter last month and then decided to stick rather than twist. That’s hardly a ringing endorsement.”
Graham Potter new West Ham boss
There will surely have been a sigh of relief from many at The London Stadium following the sacking of Lopetegui on Wednesday (8 January) as it has felt like something that’s been inevitable for a while now.
The 58-year-old was brought in to replace David Moyes in the hope of improving performances but retaining a level of success in the top half of the Premier League, competing for European football.
However, with the Irons sitting seven points clear of the relegation zone, it’s clear that the appointment did not live up to expectations and was a failed experiment by Sullivan and the board.
It was surprising to see the board stick by the Spaniard in December with suggestions that Potter was willing to take over but the Hammers chief has never been one to quickly sack managers and given the amount of money he was set to lose from the decision, that may explain why the decision to stick it out in the hope of change was made.
The appointment of the 49-year-old is an exciting one that could mark the start of proper change in East London but there are expectations on those higher up at The London Stadium to provide the necessary support to achieve.
In other West Ham news, Edson Alvarez could be on his way out this month with a Champions League club interested.
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