Sacked Championship manager joins Graham Potter at West Ham two weeks after axing

Having just arrived at West Ham, Graham Potter has named a whole new coaching team with some interesting names.

The Englishman arrives at the London Stadium just a day after Julen Lopetegui was sacked following a poor start to the season.

Potter has been out of work just short of two years, having left Chelsea in 2023 after a similarly poor spell, 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’s going to need some help, and to do so he’s called upon a man whose 2024 was just as difficult as Lopetegui’s.

Narcis Pelach joins the club two weeks on from being sacked by Stoke and takes the job title as a first-team coach.

The Spaniard racked up a record of three wins, seven draws and nine defeats in 19 games, ending his first big job before it had even really started.

The 36-year-old had previously worked at Huddersfield and before in his native Catalunya, but this will be his first job in a top flight league.

Potter has also brought in Bruno Saltor as his assistant, linking back up the former Brighton defender who worked with him as an assistant with the Seagulls and at Chelsea.

Scottish coach Billy Reid also returns to his side as a coach, while goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero stays on in his post.

Potter will attempt to finally help West Ham move on from David Moyes after two failed attempts.

Moyes fist stint in east London ended in 2018 but he was brought back just 18 months later after his replacement, former Manchester City and Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini, failed to impress.

In his second term he would land the club’s first trophy this century by taking home the Conference League crown in 2023.

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 lasted just six months in the role with his most recent disappointments being back-to-back 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 third round of the FA Cup.

Upon his arrival, Potter said: "Very excited, very proud day to be head coach of this amazing club.

"It's a big tradition, big history, big expectation. A big challenge. It's a bit like Christmas for the adults. Excited, not the best of sleeps last night just from excitement. Looking forward to meeting the players, meeting our supporters and getting going."

He added: "It's been 20 months of a good rest, a good break.

"In that time you speak to lots of people, lots of conversations with different owners and directors.

"It was important that I chose the right option for me at the right time. As soon as I spoke to this club, it felt right for me.

"When you've had lots of time to think, sometimes it's a feeling in you. The board's ambition, their trust and belief in me, looking at the playing squad and the academy.

"It's a massive club but it's a family club. I like that connection, that sense of fighting together."