‘Results have not matched expectations’: West Ham sack Graham Potter, appoint Nuno Espirito Santo as new coach

West Ham has had a horrid start to the campaign, losing 4 out of 5 matches and are firmly placed at 19th while also having been eliminated from the League Cup.

By: Sports Desk

Updated: September 27, 2025 11:46 PM IST

2 min read

West Ham's head coach Graham Potter reacts during the Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and West Ham in London, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland, file)

Graham Potter was sacked by West Ham on Saturday just 5 games into the new season and former Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who was also sacked earlier this season by the latter club, was brought in to replace him. Potter was sacked just 2 days before his side’s next match against Everton.

West Ham has had a horrid start to the campaign, losing 4 out of 5 matches and are firmly placed at 19th while also having been eliminated from the League Cup. “West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Graham Potter has left the Club. Results and performances over the course of the second half of last season and the start of the 2025/26 season have not matched expectations, and the Board of Directors believe that a change is necessary in order to help improve the team’s position in the Premier League as soon as possible,” the Hammers had said on Saturday.

Potter said he was “incredibly disappointed” to be leaving West Ham “without being able to achieve what we set out to achieve.” “I do however fully acknowledge that the results have just not been good enough up to now,” Potter said in a statement via the League Managers Association.

“I’d like to thank all the staff at the club who made me feel so welcome, the playing squad and their continued efforts during my time,” Potter said, “and lastly the fans, who have been so supportive during what has been a difficult journey at times.”

Nuno, who has signed a three-year contract at West Ham, guided Forest into European competition for the first time in 30 years thanks to a seventh-place finish in the league last season.

However, he was fired just three games into this season after the Portuguese coach had a very public falling-out with owner Evangelos Marinakis, reportedly stemming from a breakdown in relations with the club’s recently hired global head of football, Edu Gaspar.