West Ham fear ‘worst-case scenario’ as Graham Potter sack looms
West Ham can afford to sack Graham Potter and still conduct an overhaul of their squad in the January transfer window.
That is according to football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that the potential of missing out on £60million worth of revenue would spark the Hammers into action.
Potter took charge at West Ham following Julen Lopetegui‘s sacking midway through the 2024-25 campaign.
The ex-Chelsea boss was brought in to improve the Irons’ league position and the quality of the football on-pitch, but there have been no signs of progress so far.
West Ham brought Mateus Fernandes to East London this summer for £40m [BBC Sport] whilst spending a similar amount on making Jean-Clair Todibo’s loan stay a permanent one.
But despite a sizeable outlay in the transfer window just gone, the Hammers’ struggles have continued into the 2025-26 season, and the risk of a sizeable financial blow is likely to spur the club’s hierarchy into making a decision on Potter‘s future.
West Ham can afford to sack Graham Potter and spend in January
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Plumley explained that with the “worst-case scenario” of relegation to the Championship costing the club £60m-a-year in loss of revenue, West Ham could look to sack Potter and spend on reinforcing the squad in January.
He said: “They can do both [sack Potter and spend on transfers in January].
“There’s no PSR issues linked to West Ham. We know that there’s nothing with UEFA to worry about, partly because they’ve been in and out of that competition for the last few years.
“They could do both. The pressure point for West Ham, and we’ve said this before with a lot of clubs, is they are really wary of the worst-case scenario, which would be getting relegated.
“That’s going to have a big financial impact on a club like that.
“That’s what you’re protecting, and that would see them lose £60m off the revenue line if they get relegated.
“If they spend a little bit on players in the transfer market in January, or have to sack a manager, which probably, given best estimates, would be in the single-digit low millions, then they can still go and spend £10-15m in the transfer market.”
Slaven Bilic a surprise contender to replace Graham Potter
With Potter’s exit from the London Stadium feeling like a matter of when, rather than if, the question of who will replace the Englishman will need to be addressed.
Several names have been talked about, including Nuno Espirito Santo, who proved himself capable of rescuing a relegation candidate and turning them into a top 5 contender whilst at Nottingham Forest.
But another surprising name has emerged. Slaven Bilic is a contender for the West Ham job, should Potter leave, according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook.
The Croatian manager was in charge of the Irons between 2015 and 2017, and has since managed the likes of West Brom, Watford, and, most recently, Saudi Arabian side Al-Fatteh.