West Ham to seal Graham Potter hire in days, new signings lined up – Sky Sports
West Ham are expected to complete the appointment of Graham Potter as their new manager “in the next couple of days”, according to Rob Dorsett.
The Sky Sports News journalist claims that the Irons will sack Julen Lopetegui soon before replacing him with Potter, 49, before they take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday night (10 January).
Dorsett claims that transfer discussions will then be held with the former Chelsea and Brighton manager.
When asked if the Hammers’ transfer plans are on hold due to the managerial situation in East London, Dorsett said (Sky Sports News, 07:20pm, 7 January): “Traditionally, yes. And I certainly think that a lot of the people who are involved in those discussions about the future of Julen Lopetegui and Sean Dyche will otherwise be engaged right now.
“But, look, they’re going to sort it out in the next couple of days. Certainly, West Ham. I’d expect Graham Potter to be appointed in the next couple of days so then they’ll be talking to Graham Potter about which signings he’d like.”
Will West Ham hire Graham Potter as their new manager?
It’s becoming increasingly likely that Potter will be the new Hammers manager and in the dug-out to take on Aston Villa at Villa Park on Friday night.
It’ll be a good game for Potter to start off his spell as the Irons’ new boss because it’s in the FA Cup.
While it would be great for the Londoners to go far in the competition, there’s probably no better chance for a new manager to be able to see what the full extent of his squad has to offer.
There’s no doubt that Potter will have been watching West Ham for a while now, knowing that Lopetegui could be dismissed due to his horrific start to life in East London.
He’ll know Niclas Fullkrug, Vladimir Coufal and Jarrod Bowen inside and out. He’ll know what they can and can’t do, what youth players are worth looking at and what deals he could look to strike this January.
It’ll be a big appointment by the Irons and that should take the side forward.
However, he needs time. Things might not start off great but there could be a fair bit of work needed to fix the mess Lopetegui has caused.
In other West Ham news, a Hammers source has been quoted on what he’s had to say about Lopetegui being sacked.
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