Sacked Championship manager joins Graham Potter at West Ham two weeks after sacking
New to West Ham, Graham Potter has named a completely new coaching team with some interesting names.
the english has been named new Hammers boss just one day after Julen Lopetegui was fired after a poor start to the season.
Potter has been out of work for just under two years, having left Chelsea in 2023 after a similar poor run, but hopes are high thanks to his previous work at Brighton and Swansea.
If the 49-year-old is to turn around the Hammers' fortunes, he will need some help, and to do so he has had a man whose 2024 was as difficult as Lopetegui's.
Narcis Pelach joins the club two weeks after being fired by Stoke and takes over as coach of the first team.
The Spaniard amassed a record of three wins, seven draws and nine losses in 19 matches, ending his first big job before it had begun.
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The 36-year-old has previously worked at Huddersfield and before that in his native Catalonia, but this will be his first job in a top-flight league.
Potter also hired Bruno Saltor as his assistant, linking up with the former Brighton defender who worked with him as an assistant at the Seagulls and Chelsea.
Scottish coach Billy Reid also returns to his team as coach, while goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero remains in his role.
Potter will finally try to help West Ham get ahead. David Moyes after two failed attempts.
Moyes' first spell in east London ended in 2018, but he returned just 18 months after his replacement, the former Manchester City and Real Madrid manager. Manuel Pellegrinifailed to impress.
In his second term he would win the club's first trophy in this century by taking home the Conference League crown in 2023.
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The Scot would leave just a year later, and his replacement, Lopetegui, failed to improve things.
The Basque coach has some big names on his CV, including Real Madrid and Spain, but he lasted just six months in charge and his most recent disappointments were consecutive defeats to Man City and Liverpool with nine goals conceded.
Next up for West Ham is a trip to Aston Villa on January 10 in the FA Cup third round, live on talkSPORT.
Potter, who signed a two-and-a-half-year deal, said: “It is a very excited day and very proud to be the head coach of this incredible club.
“It's a great tradition, a great story, a great expectation. A great challenge. It's a bit like Christmas for adults. Excited, I didn't sleep very well last night just because of the excitement. I'm looking forward to meeting the players, meeting our fans and receive going.”
And he added: “It has been 20 months of good rest, a good rest.
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“At that point you talk to a lot of people, a lot of conversations with different owners and directors.
“It was important to choose the right option for me at the right time. As soon as I spoke with this club, I felt good.
“When you've had a lot of time to think, sometimes it's a feeling in you. The ambition of the board, their trust and faith in me, looking at the playing team and the academy.
“It's a huge club but it's a family club. I like that connection, that feeling of fighting together.”
West Ham – Graham Potter Specials
How will West Ham fare under new manager Graham Potter?
- West Ham unbeaten in first 3 EPL games 7/2
- West Ham win their first EPL games – 6/1
- West Ham will finish top half – 7/1
- West Ham will finish in the last 3 – 1/20
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