West Ham United decided to part ways with Julen Lopetegui and replace him with Graham Potter last week.
Graham Potter began his West Ham career with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday night, but the differences between him and Julen Lopetegui were clear to see.
There were clear and discernible patterns of play on display, and the way that we pressed as a unit with real cohesion and aggression was fabulous to see.
Karren Brady has already opened up about the sacking of Lopetegui, and made it clear that the decision was made because the Spaniard was unable to match the club’s ambitions.
I fully expect the Hammers to reach new heights with Potter now at the helm.
The football will be a whole lot better than we witnessed during the first-half of the season, that’s for sure.
Just how big of a coup is Potter though?
Well, Brady has now made a big claim that suggests we are underestimating just how big of a deal West Ham appointing Potter was.
Karren Brady makes claim about West Ham boss Graham Potter
With Lopetegui now gone, the Hammers fans are very excited about what Potter will bring to the London Stadium.
He is well-known for the sensational brand of football that he has implemented throughout his career to date.
And now, there is reason for the West Ham fans to be even more exhilarated about the appointment of Potter.
When writing her regular column for The Sun, Brady made an astonishing claim about Potter.
She said, “In Graham Potter, we have recruited a very good man, a hugely respected elite Premier League coach, and someone who was the unanimous choice of our Board to steer our project back in the right direction.“
“From our early conversations with Graham, we felt the overwhelming sense that he is the right fit for West Ham United, as are we for him.“
“As Graham himself has said, since leaving Chelsea 20 months ago, he has been waiting for and carefully considering the right opportunity, seeking the challenge and project that would re-ignite the feeling of excitement and anticipation that would inspire his return to top-flight management.“
“We are delighted that, despite being highly sought-after by some of the biggest clubs in Europe, he has discovered that feeling with West Ham United.“
“Graham understands and shares our principles – that hard work, togetherness and commitment breeds progress and success.“
Wow – so West Ham beat, in Brady’s words, ‘some of the biggest clubs in Europe’ to Potter’s signature.
That just shows how much of a pull we have, and it’s truly astonishing that little old West Ham are viewed as such a giant in the modern game.
Do not underestimate the pull of living in the heart of London and performing in front of 62,500 fans every week.
What Graham Potter will bring to West Ham
Graham Potter is a huge coup for West Ham, make no mistake about that, and Karren Brady’s comments highlight just how well the Hammers did to appoint him.
The 49-year-old’s system is underlined by his versatility.
He has been known to use up to EIGHT different systems during games.
At Brighton, Potter changed his system continuously throughout matches, with a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1 bring used mostly.
However, the new Hammers boss was not averse to using a back three either.
Graham Potter insists on his players retaining possession as much as they can – a system reliant on fluid movement from all of his players in order to create space for the man in possession.
The 49-year-old is well-known for placing his faith in youth, and he gave young striker Evan Ferguson his debut at Brighton.
I’m hoping to see some really exciting football with Graham Potter in charge at West Ham, and big opportunities given to some of our most talented youngsters, including the likes of Ollie Scarles.
I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the Hammers with Potter at the helm.
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