‘Graham Potter creates major West Ham sack pressure with baffling end to season’
Graham Potter is quickly wasting all the grace he had for remaining in charge at West Ham ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, now causing issues in the dressing room.
The former Brighton and Chelsea boss was seemingly given the second half of the current season as a free hit after replacing Julen Lopetegui in the wake of the Spaniard’s dismal reign, but that may no longer be the case.
Few supporters were expecting him to work miracles with the squad of players at his disposal, but with just four wins from 18 games, there has not even been a hint of positivity or forward movement.
West Ham fans already want Potter sacked, but with David Sullivan and Karren Brady likely wanting to avoid a revolving door situation, the Hammers are left in a difficult situation thanks to the manager’s latest moves to close out a miserable season.
West Ham frustrations louder than ever after Nottingham Forest loss
Supporters wanted to see a victory at the London Stadium for the final home game against Nottingham Forest on 18 May, but the manager drew even more negative attention to himself with some of his decisions regarding the starting lineup and his treatment of some players.
Lukasz Fabianski was disappointed not to be given the chance to make one final appearance in front of the home crowd ahead of his exit from the club this summer after over 200 appearances, even after Alphonse Areola’s blunder saw West Ham go one goal down.
Speaking to the media after the game, the shot-stopper told Polish media: “I feel disappointed with how it looked today. I secretly hoped that I would be able to say goodbye to the fans at the home match, being on the pitch for at least a moment.”
In addition to that, the 49-year-old was either not taking the game seriously or just too afraid of being ripped apart after naming nine defensive players in his lineup, leaving just Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus in attack, something angrily called out live on BBC radio by journalist Julien Laurens.
The likes of Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek are clearly not ready to leave the club yet, and with the departure of Aaron Cresswell being greeted by a lot of negativity, he has put himself in more danger of being sacked.
This comes after Niclas Fullkrug’s recent West Ham outburst to the media, and while fans were happy for a player to show some fight and emotion, the manager reacted badly by benching him for the next game.
Graham Potter under massive pressure despite free-hit West Ham campaign
The summer transfer window could certainly be a saviour for Potter, especially when West Ham are being linked with the likes of Angel Gomes, but many fans will be unwilling to take that risk with the way the Englishman has overseen this term.
He has shown zero reason why he should remain in charge for the 2025/26 campaign so far, and the pressure is only going to be aimed at the owners if no changes are made before the start of next season.
| Manager | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
| Graham Potter | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 22.2 |
The majority of fans expected the club to keep moving forward after lifting the Europa Conference League title in 2022/23, but it has been nothing but backwards steps since the removal of David Moyes.
Potter only continues to mount more and more pressure on himself. Of course, the squad is not fit for his playing style, but for such an adaptable coach, it baffles as to why he has only struggled since arriving in East London.
He could have bought some credit with supporters by looking to give them a more expansive send off with the final game in Stratford before the summer, but opted for an ultra-cagey outlook and lost anyway.
Upsetting Fabianski before the keeper departs was another move that could have easily been avoided, likely leaving nothing but confusion and frustration inside and outside the dressing room, heading into a summer where hope is badly needed.