West Ham United have spoken to Graham Potter about the managerial position should Julen Lopetegui leave the club.
Lopetegui remains on the spot for now but the club have discussed his future following a run in which West Ham have taken eight points from their last eight games.
One source told Sky Sports news that Lopetegui will be sacked once they have agreed in principle with their preferred target – believed to be Potter.
As it stands, there is no deal with Potter or any other manager.
Sky Sports News understands that Everton also retain an interest in Potter, should they decide to replace Sean Dyche.
Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 after seven months at the club, despite signing a five-year deal to replace Thomas Tuchel.
The 49-year-old was previously at Brighton for three years, helping them to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League in 2021/22, their highest target at the time.
Carra: Potter for West Ham is good for both
Potter is in talks with West Ham over a managerial position should Lopetegui be sacked
Jamie Carragher believes West Ham could finally get the manager they thought they would get in Lopetegui if Potter is appointed.
Let's talk further Monday Night Footballsaid: “The whole reason they moved away from David Moyes wasn't really the results as such – last season wasn't great, they had better seasons. In the main, Moyes did a good job at West Ham. But I always felt that West Ham want their 'De Zerbi', a guy who comes in and plays brilliant football.
But don't forget it started with Graham Potter coming in off the back of Chris Hughton who was a different type of manager and they (Brighton) wanted to change things. West Ham wanted to turn things around and be the team at the forefront. foot and take the game to the opponent.
“We know Potter can do that. If he can unlock some of the attacking talent that West Ham have, it's a good move for both of them if a deal comes through.”
Asked whether he would choose West Ham or Everton if he were the Potters, Carragher said he would favor the Hammers.
“I think Everton is a bigger club than West Ham. I'm probably just going back to my childhood and watching them win trophies and West Ham don't win too many.
“Everton have been so poor for the last 10 years, West Ham have won the European Cup and they are in London, they have the Olympic Stadium.
“I think it's more of a 50-50 decision now. And you might now turn more to West Ham as they are probably more guaranteed to stay in the Premier League.
“The fact that I think Potter would choose West Ham over Everton, it's probably really sad that I say it's 50-50 because in my opinion Everton are a much bigger club than West Ham.”
Potter on his way out of Chelsea – 'Live and learn'
Potter appeared on Monday Night Football in September and reflected on his short spell at Chelsea. He said the team had been in “change” during his time at the club and would “learn” from the experience.
Potter was appointed in September 2022 but lasted less than eight months in the role before being sacked by the club.
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Speaking to Monday Night Football in September, former Chelsea manager Potter spoke about his experiences at the club and the struggles he faced
He said of his tenure: “After talking to the owners, they were very ambitious. They wanted to challenge for trophies and use younger players.
“The chance to have that opportunity to work with younger players and build an environment. We did some things well.
“Suddenly it took a bit of adjustment while I was still trying to compete, the whole team was in a bit of a flux. There was a lot of adjustment.
“It's impossible to play with everyone every minute. Finding that stability was a bit of a struggle. You live and learn. It was a very turbulent period in Chelsea's history. I wish I had done better.”
Asked if that made him even hungrier for the next challenge, Potter added: “I know my abilities and I know what I can do. It has to be the right opportunity and the right thing for me.
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Speaking on Monday Night Football in September, Potter explained his former Brighton man's style of play
“The culture at Chelsea over a period of time has led to their success, so I respect that. I suppose you could feel that from the outside, from the media and from the fans. Maybe the mistake I made was thinking there would be a culture change with the new ownership.
“But the culture goes much deeper than that. Before the World Cup, we only lost three games in the Premier League – one to Arsenal, who were the best at the time, and to Newcastle and Brighton away – but the world was closing in and we were close crises.
“Perspective is not always easy to get and at that time Chelsea were used to winning and competing.
“It was easy to say that it had to be the coach because he was not used to playing at this level or working at this level. Maybe he was the problem, and I could understand that because the results were not what they expected.”
West Ham fixtures
January 10: Aston Villa (a) – FA Cup
January 14: Fulham (h)
January 18: Crystal Palace (h)
January 26: Aston Villa (a) – Live Sky Sports
February 3: Chelsea (a) – Live Sky Sports
February 15: Brentford (h)