Former West Ham defender Glen Johnson has described the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Graham Potter as Julen Lopetegui’s replacement as “madness”.

Despite Lopetegui remaining in charge, reports have leaked out that the club have been negotiating with Potter and, speaking to football betting site BetVictor, Johnson said it is not a good look:

“Graham Potter would get West Ham playing better football, but they don’t have that luxury. They just need to win games and get points on the board as they are struggling.”

“It’s disappointing as they spent quite a lot of money in the summer, and they were expecting to kick on under Julen Lopetegui. The situation is madness.”

“Of course, clubs will talk to managers and players, even if they have someone under contract in the same position at the time, but you cannot let the information out to the press that the club are looking at Graham Potter when Julen Lopetegui is turning up to take training, it’s a poor look.”

Potter is poised to take over at the London Stadium

At the time of writing, the former Chelsea head coach’s appointment has not been officially announced but it is expected to come very soon.

Potter is set to sign an initial six-month contract which will be extended by two and a half years if certain conditions are met at the end of the season.

Lopetegui and his entire backroom staff are expected to be sacked. Goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero is the only one expected to stay, with Potter bringing in his own team.

Which West Ham fixture will be Potter’s first game?

If everything goes to plan, Potter is hoping to be in the dugout on Friday evening when the Irons take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

With just a couple of days to go before that game, though, it may be the case that we will have to wait until next Tuesday’s Premier League match against Fulham to see him take charge.

Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here