West Ham United's indecision over Graham Potter's future has opened the door for potential replacements, with Slaven Bilic emerging as a leading candidate should the club part ways with the current manager. Sources indicate that the board, led by David Sullivan, held talks with Nuno Espírito Santo prior to last weekend's defeat by Crystal Palace, though the Portuguese coach may be too expensive. Bilic, who led West Ham to seventh place in 2016, is waiting for a call and is backed by those close to Sullivan.
Potter has won just six of his 25 games in charge and lost four of the first five league matches this season, including a Carabao Cup exit to Wolves. The manager acknowledged the pressure, saying: 'You have to face that and take that responsibility... You also have to look at context and where the club was.' However, the board's lack of strategy has drawn criticism from supporters, who are calling for Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to resign.
The irony is not lost that David Moyes, the former West Ham manager, could be the one to push Potter closer to the exit. Moyes, now at Everton, has a track record of working effectively under Sullivan's ownership. Potter and recruitment chief Kyle Macaulay have been faulted for underestimating the scale of their task, with the team losing its identity after the Moyes era. The international break offers a potential reset, but with two tricky away games against Everton and Arsenal looming, time is running out for Potter to save his job.
