West Ham United decided to appoint Graham Potter to replace Julen Lopetegui, amid strong links with legendary Italian manager Max Allegri.
Max Allegri emerged as a managerial target for West Ham towards the end of 2024, however, the club decided to bring Graham Potter to the London Stadium in the end.
In December, Max Allegri taking over at West Ham seemed like a very real prospect.
At one point, it was even being suggested that the 57-year-old Italian was sitting back and waiting for the Hammers job to become available.
However, Potter was eventually announced as the new West Ham head coach in early January.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
And the Hammers hierarchy are said to be very impressed by what they’ve seen from the 49-year-old so far.
Would things have been better under Allegri though? And why did the Hammers owners opt for Potter in the end?
Real reason West Ham appointed Graham Potter instead of Max Allegri
Allegri is an experienced, serial winner.
The former Juventus and AC Milan manager has led his teams to six league titles since 2011, and has 15 trophies to his name throughout his career.
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Meanwhile, Potter hasn’t won anything of note at the very highest level of the game.
Those trophies may well come down the line, but there is definitely an argument to be made that Allegri would have been the better appointment for the Hammers for the here and now.
Itr seems like that decision was actually out of West Ham’s hands though.
Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
That’s because Gazzetta dello Sport (print edition March 12th, page 16) are claiming that Max Allegri actually didn’t want to come to West Ham because we didn’t have a big enough reputation in Europe.
The Italian didn’t view the Hammers as a ‘top club’.
Fair enough I suppose.
Three trophies Graham Potter has won as a manger
Despite the fact that he’s never lifted any silverware in the English game, his trophy cabinet isn’t entirely bare.
Potter won the Svenska Cupen with Ostersund in 2017.
He has also won the league titles in the third and fourth levels of Swedish football.
Graham Potter will never emulate what Max Allegri has achieved in the game, but I’m praying that he will lead West Ham to some kind of success over the next few years.
At 49, Potter still has plenty of years left ahead of him to prove himself at the top level of the game.