West Ham are slumped 18th in the Premier League relegation zone after another humiliating London derby saw them convincingly beaten by Tottenham. The 10-man Hammers lost 3-0 to Spurs courtesy of goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven and Graham Potter’s side have now lost three of their first four league matches in 2025-26, and all have come by three-plus goal margins.
West Ham had already lost 5-1 to Chelsea at the London Stadium just 22 days earlier and this latest hammering means Potter is under massive pressure. He could very soon lose his job with the east London outfit staring at the possibility of a Premier League relegation scrap. Express Sport looks at who chairman David Sullivan could turn to if he axes Potter…
Jose Mourinho
The glamorous option is three-time Premier League winner Jose Mourinho. He was sacked by Fenerbahce last month as a result of the Turkish giants losing in the Champions League play-offs to Benfica. The Portuguese coach, 62, has already managed three Premier League clubs – Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham – and back in October teased a return to England’s top flight.
He said: “I think the best thing I have to do is when I leave Fenerbahce I go to a club that doesn’t play UEFA competitions. If any club in England from the bottom of the table needs a coach in two years, I’m ready to go.” While that was only 10 months ago, West Ham meet the requirements for Mourinho. Whether the Special One still has the quality to save the Hammers is a matter of debate but he is a big name with a CV bursting with trophies.
Frank Lampard
Another option could be Frank Lampard, the former West Ham midfielder. The 47-year-old did a commendable job in the Premier League with the Blues before eventually being sacked. Though his Everton tenure ended in the same fate, he did prevent them from being relegated in 2021-22 with his decision-making crucial in a vital win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.
Lampard is now in charge of Championship promotion hopefuls Coventry who have started the season unbeaten and scored 15 goals in five games. He has a connection with the Hammers having come through the club’s academy and made 187 first-team appearances before an £11million move to Chelsea.
Gareth Southgate
Another free agent like Mourinho, Gareth Southgate would be a gamble having not managed in the Premier League since 2009. Yet he turned an England team who were laughed at after Euro 2016 and took them to the World Cup semi-finals and back-to-back Euros finals.
The 55-year-old faced a lot of criticism for his tactics while England manager but that was in a team expected to win trophies. With West Ham, that would not be the first requirement and a calming personality could be what the Londoners need. However, one problem is that the jobless Southgate said last month when asked if he has plans to return to football any time soon: “Not at the moment, I’m very much enjoying my life.”
Sean Dyche
Appointing Sean Dyche, given his tactical approach might feel like a backwards step given David Moyes’ departure was partly because of West Ham’s desire to play more progressive football. But Dyche would feel like a solid bet to keep West Ham up if the club’s board are genuinely fearful of relegation.
The 54-year-old has been without a job since leaving Everton back in January. And after a summer off, he might relish an opportunity to return to the widely-renowned best league in the world. It’s unclear how West Ham fans would react to his appointment though and it might only solve short-term problems rather than long-term issues.