It would be an understatement to say that West Ham United have not had the start to the season they’d have been hoping for.
For example, the East Londoners aren’t taking part in the League Cup this week after losing to the equally terrible Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.
It’s somehow been even worse in the Premier League, with the Irons losing to Sunderland, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace in their first five games.
In short, things need to change, and it now looks like the club are going after a manager who’d be a massive upgrade on Graham Potter.
West Ham target Potter upgrade
The last few weeks have seen West Ham be linked with a host of potential Potter replacements, with one of the more prominent ones being Slaven Bilic.
Manager Focus
The former Hammers boss left the club in 2017, and has since managed Al-Ittihad, West Bromwich Albion, Beijing Guoan, Watford and Al-Fateh.
In other words, he’s not done much to suggest he’d bring in a new era at the club.
Al-Fateh
07/23
08/24
Watford
09/22
03/23
Beijing Guoan
01/21
01/22
West Brom
07/19
12/20
Al-Ittihad
10/18
02/19
Likewise, while he’s doing a reasonable enough job with Coventry City, the links to Frank Lampard aren’t going to excite fans.
Fortunately, there is another coach on the club’s radar, someone who’d be a massive upgrade on Potter.
At least that’s according to a recent report from Claret and Hugh, which claims West Ham are very interested in Nuno Espírito Santo.
In fact, the report has revealed that the Portuguese manager is now one of three names on a shortlist for the role.
It remains unclear whether West Ham will be able to secure their man, but they should certainly keep trying, as he’d be a colossal upgrade on Potter.
How Nuno compares to Potter
The good news is that there are several reasons why we think Nuno would be a significant upgrade on Potter.
The most important of all, and the one that encompasses many of the others, is his track record.
More specifically, his track record in English football and the Premier League.
For example, although he had a fairly dire stint in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, the Portuguese coach has more than proven himself capable of managing at the top level with both Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
He took over the former when they were still in the Championship, led them to promotion in his first campaign and then, within a few years, had them playing Europa League football.
Likewise, when he took over at Forest, it was viewed as something of an impossible job, but he led them from relegation candidates to European football in a season and a half.
On the other hand, while Potter did a pretty good job with Brighton & Hove Albion, he proceeded to fail with Chelsea, and it would be hard to find someone who’d claim he isn’t failing at the London Stadium today.
Finally, you only need to compare their records in the top-flight to see who is the better manager.
The “outstanding” Portuguese coach, as dubbed by commentator Adam Summerton, has taken charge of 184 games in the Premier League, of which his teams have won 72, lost 67, drawn 45 and averaged 1.42 points per game.
Games
184
164
Wins
72
47
Draws
45
55
Losses
67
62
Points per Game
1.42
1.20
In contrast, the Englishman has taken charge of 164 games in the competition, of which 47 have been wins, 55 draws, and 62 losses, which comes out to a points per game average of just 1.20.
Ultimately, West Ham need a new manager, and Nuno looks like the best man for the job.