“Fantastic” manager now tempted to replace Graham Potter at West Ham

da betsson： West Ham United have made another disastrous start to the season, with under-fire manager Graham Potter at the centre of reports that he could be sacked after just nine months in charge of the east London club.

Graham Potter's terrible West Ham start in numbers

da lvbet： Numbers never lie, and the statistics from Potter’s tenure at West Ham so far make for pretty grim reading.

Potter’s men have shipped 11 goals already this term, and out of every West Ham side in Premier League history, only Avram Grant’s Hammers from 2010/2011 have conceded more at this stage of the season — they were relegated.

Potter has also recorded the second-worst Premier League win percentage of any West Ham manager since the competition’s inception, behind only Grant, and even the maligned Julen Lopetegui fared better last season.

Worst West Ham managers in the Premier League

Win percentage

9. Sam Allardyce

30.7%

10. Julen Lopetegui

30%

11. Gianfranco Zola

27.8%

12, Graham Potter

27.3%

13. Avram Grant

18.9%

via StatMuse

West Ham’s losses so far have all come by a three-goal margin too, and it’s the joint-earliest a Premier League team has lost this many games by such a score since Bournemouth in 2022/2023 — who eventually avoided a drop to the Championship by the skin of their teeth.

To make matters even less flattering for Potter, he also boasts the worst overall record of every single present Premier League club since his appointment in January.

Taking all of this into consideration, alongside the lack of a real playing identity under the 50-year-old, it is hardly surprising that West Ham are backing Potter for now but have a number of managers on their shortlist in case they decide to part company.

According to reliable media sources, like GiveMeSport’s Ben Jacobs, West Ham have internally discussed hiring Sean Dyche, Nuno Espírito Santo and former boss Slaven Bilic.

The latter, who was a fan favourite and managed the Irons from 2015 to 2017, took charge of 109 games before David Sullivan and the board replaced him with David Moyes on an interim basis.

Now, Bilic is emerging as a favourite for the potential West Ham job, as Sullivan apparently favours re-hiring the Croatian over alternative candidates (Ben Jacobs).

The 57-year-old’s stance on a return to east London has now emerged too, courtesy of Jack Rosser in The Sun.

Slaven Bilic would love to re-join West Ham amid Graham Potter uncertainty

According to Rosser, Bilic would be open to a West Ham comeback as senior figures present him as an option, but there is an err of caution as it is also believed that the tactician has offers from elsewhere.

In his opening season, Bilic guided the club to one of their highest ever league finishes, seventh, which also earned them a place in the early Europa League qualifying rounds.

West Ham finished 11th in his second campaign before Bilic was shown the door early in his third season, having left with the club sitting in the relegation zone, but Rosser also reports that Bilic would come in on an initial caretaker basis.

Slaven Bilic’s managerial record at West Ham

Number

Matches

109

Wins

42

Draws

30

Losses

37

Goals scored

160

Goals conceded

167

Points

156

Average points per game

1.43

via Transfermarkt

Amid the fierce backlash from West Ham supporters, who are planning protests this Saturday before their home game against Crystal Palace, the board is under mounting pressure, and it is vital they get their next appointment right if Potter does leave.

Bilic has been out of management for well over a year, departing Saudi side Al-Fateh in 2024, and it is very debatable whether the ex-Hammers defender is really the right man to take them forward, especially with Nuno also readily available.

That being said, Bilic was once a popular figure, with Aaron Cresswell hailing his passion.