West Ham United are lining up potential replacements for Graham Potter after what has been a nightmare start to 2025/2026, and one of their candidates is very eager to make the move to east London.
Graham Potter facing West Ham dismissal after poor start
Potter’s win percentage since taking charge in January makes for pretty dismal reading.
Out of every single West Ham gaffer in Premier League history, his lowly 26.1 per cent win rate only sits above that of Avram Grant, who guided the Hammers to relegation at the end of 2010/2011.
|
Worst West Ham managers in the Premier League |
Win percentage |
|---|---|
|
9. Sam Allardyce |
30.7% |
|
10. Julen Lopetegui |
30% |
|
11. Gianfranco Zola |
27.8% |
|
12 Graham Potter |
26.1% |
|
13. Avram Grant |
18.9% |
|
via StatMuse |
|
Defensively, West Ham have been cut through like a knife with hot butter — conceding more goals than any other top flight side thus far whilst displaying a serious weakness in dealing with set pieces.
The blame for West Ham’s hapless start to 2025/2026 doesn’t lay solely at the feet of Potter, though, as you can make a serious case that the ex-Chelsea boss was hardly backed with winning players in the summer.
“You’re bringing in players that are used to losing to this West Ham and saying ‘right, now we’re going to change the culture of it’,” pundit Troy Deeney said last week.
“How with people that are used to losing? Mentally it just doesn’t make sense.
“At home in London derbies they’re getting battered, absolutely annihilated.
“So how do we expect that he (Potter) is the motivator, what’s he saying that gets you going, what’s the message? (Is he really saying) ‘Oi you, get your socks up, let’s go and have it’. I just don’t think he’s that person.
“I feel sorry for him because he looks like a nice guy. But I think certain teams require a certain manager.”
In any case, the overwhelming consensus is that Potter is fast running out of time, and it is believed that Potter could be given a stay of execution until the Arsenal game — to give any new West Ham manager the best possible chance of a good start at home to Brentford (ExWHUemployee).
Slaven Bilic “waiting” for offer to manage West Ham
Of the contenders to replace Potter, Nuno EspÃrito Santo is reportedly in pole position for the potential West Ham job right now (ExWHUemployee), but we cannot discount ex-Irons boss Slaven Bilic.
The Croatian, a former West Ham player, was in charge between 2015 and 2017. Bilic guided West Ham to a seventh-placed finish at the end of his first campaign, only to be sacked two years later with his side sitting in the relegation zone.
Now, as per GiveMeSport, Bilic is ready to make a West Ham return and is simply “waiting” for his chance of reunion.
He is in his homeland right now monitoring events closely, and if Potter cannot turn things around against Everton and Arsenal, it appears he wants to take over from the 50-year-old.
Interestingly, despite other opportunities, West Ham are one of just two clubs Bilic would join — alongside another former club in West Brom.
West Ham must hire Nuno ahead of Bilic
However, we believe that Bilic isn’t the right man to take them forward, as evident by the fact they have already sacked him once. Nuno, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter.
The Portuguese’s stock is back at an all-time high after a fairytale 2024/2025 at Nottingham Forest, and he’d still be at the City Ground now if not for a public fallout with controversial owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Nuno was awarded a brand-new contract just months before his Marinakis spat, and the thought of him leaving Forest after last year’s achievements was previously deemed unthinkable.
Taking his job at Wolves into account as well, Nuno has a proven track record of helping relegation-threatened sides climb the Premier League table to establish themselves as European contenders.
The Old Gold reached a Europa League quarter-final in 2020 under Nuno’s guidance, and what’s more, the 51-year-old has some trophy-winning experience from his time in Saudi Arabia.
Nuno led Al-Ittihad to an SPL title only to leave the Middle East just months later. With no other free agents of his calibre available right now, it is crystal clear that the ex-goalkeeper should be given top priority to steady the ship after Potter’s inevitable exit.
