West Ham news round-up: Ludicrous Sam Allardyce claim as new manager search takes big twist
Graham Potter’s West Ham job is still in the balance after West Ham’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace.
It had been expected that Potter would lose his job following the defeat to the Eagles, with West Ham owner David Sullivan under pressure to make wholesale changes.
The Hammers had some bright spells in the defeat, particularly before Palace’s second, but a more spirited showing wasn’t enough to keep supporters inside the London Stadium.
With big fixtures coming up against Everton and Arsenal, West Ham Zone rounds up all the news surrounding Potter’s fragile future.
West Ham chiefs push for David Sullivan to sack Graham Potter
According to The Guardian, many of the Hammers’ officials want Potter to be sacked.
Sullivan appears to have been lining up potential replacements over the last week, and it feels inevitable that the 50-year-old will lose his job.
West Ham officials have been pushing Sullivan to reappoint Slaven Bilic on a short-term basis to try to stop their rot in the Premier League.
The Croatian was surprisingly linked with the role last week, with the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo joining him on the shortlist.
Bilic had a successful two-year spell in East London between 2015 and 2017, but left on a sour note after a poor start to the 2017/18 campaign.
West Ham chiefs disappointed by form of Mads Hermansen
Amid all of the managerial drama, the futures of many players remain uncertain.
Potter elected to replace Mads Hermansen in goal against Palace after the Dane showed poor form in his opening few games of the season.
Alphonse Areola came in to replace the youngster and had an okay performance.
- West Ham have conceded the most in the Premier League with 13
- They have also conceded seven goals from corners already this campaign
- The Hammers have conceded three or more goals 21 times since January 2024
It has now been reported by The Sun that the Hammers’ hierarchy have been frustrated by the form of summer signing Hermansen, who has been Potter’s first choice in goal.
It had been assumed that Hermansen would keep his place as the Hammers’ number one, but a new backup keeper would be targeted in January.
However, after a poor run of games, West Ham could be back to square one in their goalkeeper hunt.
Graham Potter let down by West Ham’s recruitment – Sam Allardyce
Karren Brady came under fire from West Ham fans over the summer, as she blamed the lack of incomings on Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Former Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has now come out with the ludicrous claim that Potter isn’t to blame for their failures on the pitch.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Monday, Allardyce said: “One of the big things today is you’re not in charge of recruitment anymore, and that’s one of the downsides of taking up the foreign element. We are just coaches and nothing else.
- In Allardyce’s first season in East London, he guided West Ham back up to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs
- He kept West Ham in the Premier League, with finishes of 10th (2012/13), 13th (2013/14) and 12th (2014/15)
“It doesn’t matter how much of a good coach you are, whether you are at the top like Pep [Guardiola] or down there like [Potter] is.
“You’re only as good as the players on the pitch. The recruitment has let him down but you have to roll your sleeves up and change who you are to manufacture a result.”
Nuno Espirito Santo and two mystery candidates targeted by West Ham
Nuno Espirito Santo has been linked with West Ham after it became apparent that Potter’s future was in the balance.
Unconfirmed photos of the Portuguese manager in East London were shared on social media, and multiple reports have claimed he is open to a swift return to management.
However, with concerns over whether the Hammers will be able to match his wage demands, two mystery candidates have joined him on the shortlist.
- Nuno guided Nottingham Forest to a Europa League finish in the 2024/25 season
- He had a points per game of 1.68 in the East Midlands
Speaking on Sky Sports on Monday afternoon, Kaveh Solhekol said: “One of their targets is Nuno Espirito Santo. I think it would be quite an ambitious move by West Ham to get him in.
“Would he want to go to West Ham with the situation they are in? Would he be better off waiting for other options?
“The other two names, the people are telling me, are mystery names – ‘you are going to have to go away and find out who they are’.
“They are not names that have already been mentioned in the media. I’ve been told it’s not names who have been mentioned so far – it’s Nuno plus two others.”
The suggestion that someone other than the names regularly mentioned to succeed Potter could be appointed can be considered a massive twist.
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