West Ham United have announced the appointment of Graham Potter as their new manager, following the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui.

Lopetegui’s tenure ended on Wednesday, six months after replacing David Moyes. West Ham managed only seven wins in 22 matches across all competitions during his stint. The club confirmed Lopetegui’s departure shortly after finalizing terms with Potter, whose arrival has now been made official.

Upon signing a two-and-a-half-year contract, Potter expressed his excitement:
“I am delighted to be here. It was important to me to wait for the right opportunity, and I believe West Ham United is the perfect fit for me. My discussions with the Chairman and the Board have been extremely positive. We share a commitment to hard work, high energy, and a vision for both short-term and long-term success.

🗣️ “I’m really, really excited”

Graham Potter’s first words as West Ham Head Coach ⚒️

— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 9, 2025

“West Ham United is a massive club, situated at the heart of London, with a passionate fanbase and worldwide support. Witnessing the celebrations following the Europa Conference League victory in 2023, it’s clear this club has everything in place to achieve consistent success, both on and off the pitch.

“The Club has made significant strides in recent years, establishing strong foundations that we can build upon. Winning a European trophy is no accident; it reflects a solid structure within the Club. Now, the challenge is to take the next steps – developing a team and a Club the supporters can take pride in.”

This marks Potter’s return to management since leaving Chelsea in April 2023. His first match in charge will be on Friday, as West Ham face Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round.

West Ham United is delighted to welcome Graham Potter as the Club’s new Head Coach ⚒️

— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 9, 2025

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The former Brighton and Chelsea boss has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Hammers and will be officially unveiled during a press conference at London Stadium on Thursday morning.

Lopetegui, appointed in May to succeed David Moyes, lasted just six months in charge, with his tenure formally beginning on July 1. Under his leadership, West Ham struggled, winning only six Premier League matches.

The team’s latest setback, a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, marked their ninth loss in 20 league games this season, leaving the club in 14th place, just seven points above the relegation zone.

In their statement, West Ham said: “The first half of the 2024-25 season has not aligned with the club’s ambitions, and the club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives.”

Along with Lopetegui, the club has dismissed his backroom staff, including assistant Pablo Sanz, head of performance Oscar Caro, head analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, fitness coach Borja de Alba, and technical coach Edu Rubio.

“The board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future,” the statement added.

Sources suggest Potter chose West Ham over other opportunities due to the club’s stable ownership, willingness to provide managers with time to develop their vision, and the strength of the squad relative to other lower-tier Premier League teams.

West Ham views Potter as a coach with a proven Premier League record, known for developing players and maximizing the potential of his squads. The club believes he can achieve more with the players signed during the summer transfer window than Lopetegui managed.

Potter’s first challenge as West Ham manager is likely to be the FA Cup clash against Aston Villa on Friday.

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West Ham United have announced the departure of manager Julen Lopetegui after a challenging six-month tenure.

Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes during the summer as a high-profile hire, managed only seven wins in 22 matches. Despite his experience as a former Spain and Real Madrid manager, Lopetegui struggled to turn West Ham’s fortunes around.

His position first came under scrutiny in early December following a poor start to the season. While a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers briefly eased pressure, the team managed just one additional win—against bottom-placed Southampton—before a string of heavy defeats, including 5-0 and 4-1 losses to Liverpool and Manchester City, sealed his fate.

In a statement, the club said:
“West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the Club.

“The first half of the 2024/25 season has not aligned with the Club’s ambitions, and the Club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives.

“The Club can confirm that Assistant Head Coach Pablo Sanz, Head of Performance Oscar Caro, Head Analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, Fitness Coach Borja De Alba, and Technical Coach Edu Rubio have also left with immediate effect.

“The Board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.”

Reports suggest that former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter is expected to replace Lopetegui. If appointed quickly, Potter could take charge for West Ham’s upcoming FA Cup clash with Aston Villa on Friday.

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• Julen Lopetegui reveals West Ham team news for Aston Villa opener

Julen Lopetegui has acknowledged that West Ham United might not be able to feature all of their new signings in their opening match against Aston Villa due to varying levels of pre-season preparation and fitness.

West Ham has been highly active in the summer transfer window, significantly strengthening their squad with several new additions. Jean-Clair Todibo, Maximilian Kilman, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have bolstered the defense, while Guido Rodriguez, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme, and Niclas Fullkrug have enhanced the options in midfield and attack. Wes Foderingham has also been brought in as an additional goalkeeper.

Despite these new signings likely becoming regulars, Lopetegui emphasized that caution will be exercised in integrating them into the team for the opener against Aston Villa. “Fortunately, we don’t have any bad news about injuries at the moment,” Lopetegui said. “We need to consider the preparation levels of players who joined us later.”

He continued, “We will have more information tomorrow. Right now, that’s all we know about the injuries. We are trying to wait until then and make a last-minute decision on the lineup.”

Lopetegui noted that some new signings might be more prepared than others. “We will see which of the new signings are ready. Others might need a bit more time,” he said.

Regarding Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Lopetegui mentioned, “He has played enough minutes in pre-season with Manchester United, but his first day with us was yesterday. We need to check them all tomorrow.”

West Ham’s match against Aston Villa, which is the late game on Saturday, will mark the beginning of a campaign that sees Villa competing in the Champions League following an impressive 2023/24 season under Unai Emery.

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Following Julen Lopetegui’s departure, Wolverhampton Wanderers have officially announced the appointment of Gary O’Neil as the team’s new head coach.

Three days before the 2023–24 Premier League season began, Lopetegui shockingly quit Wolves on Tuesday evening. However, the club moved fast to name O’Neil as his replacement.

O’Neil has agreed to a three-year contract with Molineux, and the club’s sporting director, Matt Hobbs, expressed his pleasure over the hire in a statement on the club’s official website.

“We’re delighted to welcome Gary to the club. He’s a highly motivated young coach with strong principles and very well thought of by everyone he has worked with, and we’re excited to see what we can achieve together at Wolves.

“Our players have shown their quality during pre-season, and I believe Gary and his team will continue to coach and improve them and will have success working with this group.

“Everyone at Wolves is looking forward to welcoming Gary, offering him their full support and working collaboratively to help the club to keep pushing forward together.”

Gary O'Neil has been appointed as our new head coach.

Welcome to the club, Gary 🤝

— Wolves (@Wolves) August 9, 2023

O’Neil recently had a very successful run as manager of Bournemouth, leading the newly promoted team to safety in their inaugural season back in the top division. Despite garnering positive reviews, the Cherries decided to renegotiate O’Neil’s contract at the conclusion of the 2022–23 season in order to bring in former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola.

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Sevilla have sacked their second manager of the season, with Jorge Sampaoli departing for a second time.

The Argentinean manager succeeded Julen Lopetegui in October and was able to achieve steady advancements through the end of February.

A perfect 2023 home record was ended by Osasuna, after which Sevilla won twice and lost on three occasions.

Sampaoli managed 31 games in all, with 13 victories, 6 draws, and 12 defeats. While Sampaoli managed to get them through PSV Eindhoven and Fenerbahce in the Europa League, where they now play Manchester United, they were defeated by Osasuna in the Copa del Rey.

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Sevilla emphasized the picture presented in recent games as well as the fact that they have not climbed the table since his appointment.

Valencia and Almeria, who are also in the relegation zone with 26 points, are two points below Sevilla.

Sevilla has chosen to make a change during the final international break before the conclusion of the season because they are desperate to avoid relegation with 12 games left and because his tactics are being questioned by the players.

Former Eibar manager Jose Luis Mendilibar is the favourite to take over, with former Valencia manager Jose Bordalas also in the running to succeed the 63-year-old.

ℹ️ Jorge Sampaoli deja de ser el técnico del #SevillaFC. #WeareSevilla

— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC) March 21, 2023

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Wolves have announced and confirmed the signing of Joao Gomes from Flamengo, subject to a work permit and international clearance.

The West Midlands team had been seeking the midfielder for the whole transfer window, and a deal looked to be on the verge of happening when Lyon entered the picture after Gomes underwent a medical at Molineux.

However, the 21-year-old was adamant about joining Wolves so he could play in the Premier League, and on Monday, they officially announced his signing after a “patient and determined procedure.”

#FreeJoaoGomes ✅ pic.twitter.com/zCeSLpZHSt

— Wolves (@Wolves) January 30, 2023

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Wolves said in a statement: “Wolves have secured the signing of highly rated Brazilian midfielder Joao Gomes from Flamengo, subject to work permit and international clearance.

“After a patient and determined recruitment process, Wolves have made the 21-year-old Julen Lopetegui’s sixth acquisition of the January transfer window.

“Gomes landed in England on Sunday, before completing his introductions and medical tests, and put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months, adding to the old gold’s midfield department.”

Wolves, who outbid French team Lyon to capture Gomes, have the option of extending his contract by one more year, subject to obtaining a work visa and receiving international clearance.

For his local team, he has appeared in 86 league games, scoring once, and winning the Copa Libertadores in 2022.

Gomes, who made his professional debut in November 2020, also helped Flamengo win the Brazilian Serie A league championship and domestic cup.

Since Lopetegui assumed leadership, he has joined Mario Lemina, Pablo Sarabia, Matheus Cunha, Craig Dawson, and Daniel Bentley in travelling to Molineux.

With seven points out of a possible 15, Wolves have moved up to 17th in the Premier League, outside the relegation zone on goal differential.

Welcome to the pack, @GomesOficial08!

🇧🇷✍️

— Wolves (@Wolves) January 30, 2023

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Benfica have completed and confirmed the loan signing of Wolves forward Goncalo Guedes until the end of the season.

The 26-year-old, who only joined Wolves in the summer for a fee of £27.5million, has returned to his homeland and the club he played for at the start of his career.

The Portugal international joined Wolves from Valencia in the summer but has struggled, netting just one Premier League goal in 13 games.

The 26-year-old has seven goals in 32 national team appearances and returns to Benfica after departing for PSG in 2017.

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Guedes was left out of the team for the final two games by new head coach Julen Lopetegui, who brought in Pablo Sarabia on a permanent deal to replace him.

Guedes has now joined Benfica on loan till the end of the season. The loan agreement does not include a purchase option for the Portuguese club.

Benfica are also covering Guedes‘ full wages for the rest of the season.

❤️🦅 Bem-vindo a casa, Gonçalo Guedes!#EuAmoOBenfica pic.twitter.com/6ijG8liXlU

— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) January 20, 2023

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Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, commonly known as Wolves FC, has announced the signing of Pablo Sarabia from Paris Saint-Germain, with the winger signing a deal until 2025 as Lopetegui continues to rebuild.

After much speculation, Wolves revealed on Twitter that Pablo Sarabia has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club from PSG.

Having previously worked for Lopetegui in the Spain Under-19 setup, the 30-year-old is reunited with him at Molineux. Before Sarabia transferred to PSG that summer, they also briefly brushed shoulders at Sevilla in 2019.

He comes in with two Ligue 1 titles and a Champions League runner-up finish.

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Under Christophe Galtier at PSG, Sarabia had lost favour in the French capital, starting just three times in Ligue 1 this season before making the transition.

The international from Spain, who represented his country at the 2022 World Cup with La Roja, joins Wolves with a wealth of knowledge and originality. Sarabia, despite having established himself as a winger, can play a more central position in both the attack and midfield.

Wolves will be expecting their new recruit to join the team as soon as possible given that they are now 16th in the Premier League standings and are only two points above the relegation zone.

He was in attendance for his new team’s FA Cup replay against Liverpool on Tuesday.

A pre-match addition to the pack ✍️#WelcomeSarabia pic.twitter.com/nBmCSI44qF

— Wolves (@Wolves) January 17, 2023

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According to sources, the Wolves are not currently aware of Liverpool’s alleged interest in midfielder Matheus Nunes.

Despite being frequently linked to a move to Anfield throughout the summer, Nunes joined Wolves from Sporting CP back in August for a club-record fee of £38m.

Liverpool reportedly still wants to sign Nunes and will make a new move for him this summer. According to recent rumours in England, Liverpool believes a £44 million bid should be sufficient to ultimately get him to Merseyside.

But mp3bullet understands that Wolves are unaware of any clubs registering an interest in Nunes, and they see him as a long-term part of their future at Molineux anyway.

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Julen Lopetegui recently commented on Nunes being linked with an exit, insisting that the midfielder is happy at Wolves and they are not considering letting him go.

“We can say that Matheus is our player, he’s a Wolves player and he’s so happy to be here,” Lopetegui said.

Nunes has now played 16 times for Wolves this season across all competitions, and oddly, his next game could take place at Anfield when they play Liverpool this weekend in the FA Cup.

Liverpool’s midfielder search has continued with their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham. Real Madrid are also competing for the teenager’s signature.

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Matheus Cunha, the first incoming player for Wolves under new manager Julen Lopetegui, has been formally confirmed as a signing from Atletico Madrid.

The loan agreement for the Brazilian international player until 2027 will turn into a permanent one provided certain conditions are met.

Cunha made an impression while playing for Hertha Berlin and RB Leipzig before joining Atletico in 2021. However, under Diego Simeone, the 23-year-old faded from view following a strong rookie season in which he scored six La Liga goals, starting just two league games.

He joins a Wolves team that is actually fighting for its Premier League life and is currently 15 games from the bottom of the standings.

He told the Wanderers’ website: “I’m really excited to be part of this group and to be part of this club – it’s a big club.

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“I’m excited to play in the Premier League, to play in Wolverhampton, and I think the most important point is that I’m happy like a kid.

“I know him [Lopetegui] as we’ve played against each other three or four times, and he’s a big coach, he has a big mentality.

“He told me about him joining Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton having a big project and I took to the project, I believe in it a lot, and I believe in him. I also believe in the players, and I believe in the club.

“The situation I’ve come into is not the best one. We need to take a little bit more points. But I believe in the club, I believe a lot in the coach, the mentality he has and he has many things to do here in Wolverhampton with the players, but the quality of the players is unbelievable.

“He’s a great person also, and I think everything together, we will put Wolverhampton where Wolverhampton needs to be.”

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Matheus Cunha has confirmed his Atletico Madrid exit and posted a farewell message to the club ahead of an expected move to the Premier League with Wolves in January.

Cunha joined Atletico from Hertha Berlin in 2021 for approximately €26 million, but during his first 18 months in the Spanish city, he has had trouble settling in.

The Brazilian forward has only started 10 times in La Liga in total, with only two of those coming in the first half of this season. He found the net seven times in all competitions in 2021/22 but is yet to score in any of his 17 appearances in 2022/23.

“Loving and feeling loves. Things like that will never change,” Cunha wrote in a statement on Instagram.

“Identifying with something, feeling important, feeling affection and feeling part of a whole family is different.

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To you, Atleticos, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have fantastic players. You have fans who make you feel at home even on the other side of the world.

“Football is like that, like any other job, there are those who are in charge, they have their hierarchies and there are those who make the decisions, and then you also have to make yours. My heart will always have a piece of Atleti!

“You always had my everything, simply because I felt that you gave me everything. Thank you very much.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Matheus Cunha (@cunha)

According to reports earlier this week that a transfer to Wolves was close to being finalised. A deal has been agreed upon between the English club and Atletico for an initial loan that can be made permanent in the summer for a fee of €40m (£35m).

Cunha is interested in working with new Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui.

Aston Villa, Everton and Leeds also spoke to Atletico, while Cunha was additionally offered to Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle by his representative.

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