Graham Potter takes new job after talks with West Ham to replace Julen Lopetegui
Graham Potter hasn't worked in football since April 2023 but has been installed as the favourite to replace Julen Lopetegui at West Ham following a run of one win in five matches
by Oli Gamp · The MirrorGraham Potter took a new job on Tuesday - but not the one most people were expecting - after being announced as a co-course director at the PFA Business School.
Potter is widely expected to become the next West Ham manager, succeeding the under fire Julen Lopetegui, after the club opened talks with the former Chelsea and Brighton coach.
The 49-year-old hasn't worked in football since he was fired by the Blues in April 2023 but has been installed as the favourite to replace Lopetegui following a run of one win in five matches.
But while many have been bracing for an announcement from West Ham over Potter, fans received surprising news about the coach instead after the PFA Business School revealed he would help lead their Football, Psychology, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership course.
Potter has been announced as a co-course director alongside Lee Richardson, a former performance psychologist at Liverpool.
In an interview explaining why he had got involved with the school, Potter said: "In the end, education helped me become a better person and a better player. In football, sometimes you just lose a game and you prepare all week and you lose a game and it doesn't feel very good, whereas studying just gave me a sense that you can work and achieve something and no one can necessarily take that away from you.
"It's very exciting, I think, that the PFA are doing this. Very exciting that they're providing the opportunity for young players, for old players to improve, to get qualifications, to tackle what comes at them in the next part of their lives in a positive way, so I'm happy to support this.
"It gives you knowledge, it helps you have clarity in thought. It's an investment not just in the now, in terms of how you are, it's an investment in your future because my degree that I got, through the PFA or through the PFA's help, was a foundation for me, my career in management, because without that degree I wouldn't have got my first job as a graduate."
The course takes around 10 months to complete, with participants receiving a two-hour virtual session every two weeks and four face to face sessions, with fees costing around £5,900.
For now, Potter is yet to be announced by West Ham, with Lopetegui left in limbo. He took training ahead of their FA Cup tie against Aston Villa on Friday night but it is understood the club are preparing to sack him as soon as his successor is finalised.
It was reported on Monday night that Potter has already been assured of new signings at West Ham if he takes over, with the club seeking an energetic midfielder and new forward after injuries to Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio.
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