“West Ham’s SHOCKING Secret Plan to Replace Slaven Bilic with a JAW-DROPPING New Manager You’ll NEVER Guess!”

West Ham United are carefully evaluating a list of potential successors to Graham Potter, whose position at the London Stadium hangs by the thinnest of threads after a dire start to the Premier League campaign.

 

Graham Potter under mounting pressure

 

It has been just over nine months since club chairman David Sullivan chose Potter to replace Julen Lopetegui, but the former Chelsea and Brighton boss has endured a disastrous tenure.

 

The clamour for his dismissal grows louder each week, with supporters and pundits alike running out of patience.

 

The numbers are damning. Since Potter’s arrival, only Avram Grant’s ill-fated 2010/11 West Ham side — which ended in relegation — can claim a worse top-flight win percentage.

 

This season alone, the Hammers have shipped more goals than any other Premier League team, exposing glaring defensive weaknesses.

 

Performances have been uninspired, the football disjointed, and set-piece fragility has become a recurring theme.

All of this has left Potter on the verge of being sacked before completing even a single year in the job.

 

Reports suggest that Potter’s fate could be sealed if West Ham fail to overcome Crystal Palace this weekend.

 

Sullivan is said to be determined to avoid the protracted uncertainty that surrounded Lopetegui’s final weeks, particularly given the toxic atmosphere now engulfing the club.

 

A source told Hammers News:

 

“We know he has Saturday’s game. I am told Sullivan is very concerned by the fans’ reaction at the moment. It is more toxic than he ever had under David Moyes and Lopetegui.

 

Defeat and that’s it for Potter. But I am told it won’t be a rollercoaster like both the previous managers, saving themselves with the odd win.”

 

Even West Ham’s 3-0 victory away to Nottingham Forest before the international break may not be enough to rescue Potter. If they fail to pick up points against Palace, that win could quickly become irrelevant.

 

Replacement options begin to emerge

 

Attention has already turned to potential replacements. A number of names have reportedly appeared on West Ham’s shortlist, among them Nuno Espírito Santo, Kieran McKenna and Frank Lampard.

 

In a surprising development, however, Slaven Bilic — who previously managed the club from 2015 to 2017 — is also under consideration for a sensational return. Sullivan is thought to be giving the Croatian serious thought.

 

Yet Bilic is not the only candidate intriguing the West Ham hierarchy. Journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed that Gary O’Neil, the former Bournemouth and Wolves manager, is another name being explored.

 

O’Neil, who also spent time as a player in east London, could represent a familiar but risky appointment.

 

Bailey explained:

 

“Let’s not beat around the bush – West Ham are in big trouble and relegation is unthinkable and could set the club back years. That can’t happen.

 

The club have been doing due diligence on potential options since the summer, and there are a number of interesting ones besides Bilic – Nuno, Dyche, O’Neil – maybe not a host that West Ham fans would want, but certainly they could be an upgrade on their current situation.”

Would Gary O’Neil be the right fit?

 

O’Neil’s managerial résumé is still short, but he has earned a reputation for defying expectations.

 

At Bournemouth, he pulled off a remarkable escape from relegation when almost everyone predicted their downfall.

 

His stint at Wolves began under similarly testing circumstances after Lopetegui’s sudden departure.

 

He steadied the team and briefly made them competitive before being dismissed in the aftermath of the infamous “El Sackico” clash with West Ham.

 

However, there are doubts over whether O’Neil is ready for a club with genuine European ambitions. His career so far has been defined by firefighting — instilling resilience in teams that simply needed to survive.

 

The situation at West Ham requires more than short-term fixes. The atmosphere is already tense and unforgiving, and his pragmatic, survival-first style may not inspire long-term progress.

 

For Sullivan, the decision is looming large. Whether he opts for experience, a familiar face like Bilic, or a gamble on a younger coach such as O’Neil, the coming weeks will be crucial.

 

One thing is certain: defeat to Crystal Palace could make that decision unavoidable.