West Ham United have sacked head coach Graham Potter after nine months in charge and swiftly appointed Nuno Espírito Santo as his replacement. The club confirmed the move on Saturday, with Nuno signing a three-year contract and taking charge of his first match on Monday evening against Everton in the Premier League.
Potter was dismissed following a run of poor results, including a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace last Saturday. The Hammers have lost their opening three home league games for the second consecutive season, a feat not seen in 98 seasons of English football. The club's statement cited that results and performances had not matched expectations.
Nuno, who previously led Nottingham Forest to a seventh-place Premier League finish and an FA Cup semi-final last season, said: 'I am very pleased to be here and very proud to be representing West Ham United. My objective is to work hard to get the very best from the team and ensure that we are as competitive as we possibly can be.'
The new head coach took training at Rush Green on Saturday afternoon, assisted initially by academy coaches Mark Robson, Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine. A further announcement on his coaching staff is expected in due course. Assistant coach Bruno Saltor, first team coaches Billy Reid and Narcis Pelach, and goalkeeping coaches Casper Ankergren and Linus Kandolin have also left the club.
West Ham's next Premier League match is against Everton, managed by former Hammers boss David Moyes. The club's head of recruitment, Kyle Macaulay, who was close to Potter, is expected to leave.
