Graham Potter is clinging to his role as West Ham United manager with this weekend’s clash against Crystal Palace seen as a crucial opportunity to earn himself a lifeline, sources have revealed to TEAMtalk.
The Hammers have endured a rocky start to the new season and pressure is quickly mounting on Potter to find solutions. Club insiders have made it clear that patience will not stretch as far as it once did under David Moyes, whose reign was allowed to drag despite difficult spells because of the credit he built up by delivering a European trophy.
Potter has not yet established that level of authority and sources indicate that this game carries significant weight.
While the West Ham board do not quite view it as a “must-win” fixture, a heavy defeat would be viewed as unacceptable and likely accelerate discussions over his position.
TEAMtalk has been told that the club have already begun to consider potential successors. Big names such as Frank Lampard and Jose Mourinho have inevitably been floated, but fresh contenders are expected to emerge very soon as West Ham look for a candidate who blends experience with a connection strong enough to galvanise both the fanbase and the squad.
The club invested in the summer market, spending significant fees on the likes of Mateus Fernandes, Jean-Clair Todibo, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Mads Hermansen. But so far those signings have failed to ignite performances to the expected standard.
Potter’s challenge is not only to turn results around but also to convince decision-makers that he has the capacity to lead this squad through a testing campaign.
As things stand, the meeting with Crystal Palace feels like more than just three points – it could be the fixture that decides whether Potter gets the chance to fight his way out of early-season trouble.
TEAMtalk revealed on August 22 that the chances of Potter being sacked were growing after a damaging 3-0 defeat against newly promoted Sunderland.
Potter’s issues were compounded by a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of his former club Chelsea.
Graham Potter struggling at West Ham
A 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest gave the 50-year-old time, but another heavy defeat to a London rival – this time Tottenham Hotspur – followed. Tomas Soucek was sent off as West Ham’s leaky defence conceded three goals again.
The Hammers have conceded the most goals out of any Premier League side this season, 11. They also have the joint-worst goal difference, level with bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui in January after the Spaniard failed to live up to expectations when succeeding from David Moyes, winning just six of his 20 league matches in charge.
However, West Ham have declined further under Potter this campaign. Indeed, Potter’s win percentage (26.32) and points per game (1.05) are both worse than Lopetegui’s record (38.89 and 1.33).
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