Karren Brady has already explained why West Ham must have serious Graham Potter conversation this summer - opinion

West Ham came up short again over the weekend, this time losing to Brighton as Graham Potter saw his side fall short on the South coast against his former club. The Hammers remain rooted to 17th place, fortunate that the three sides below them were not able to make the step up to the Premier League.

Potter has had a torrid start to life at West Ham, winning just three of his first 15 games in charge across all competitions, and the Englishman has to be feeling nervous despite seemingly getting assurances that he would get a summer transfer window before being truly judged.

Potter said after the latest defeat: “We are preparing the team, working hard, but losing]. That’s football – that’s the beauty of football and it’s the pain of football. We’re certainly feeling the pain at the moment. In the end, we all have to do better – myself, the players, we have to try to fight all the way to the end to get the points.

“There’s no lack of effort from the lads. There isn’t. Whether they’re able to sustain it for the 95-plus minutes, whatever it is, that’s another question. But we have to acknowledge we’re hurting and we want to win. We want to do better than we are.”

He added: “I have my moments (when I rant and rave). It’s not for me to say who hurts more, but I can assure you, there are not many human beings that will be feeling more pain than me at the moment about a football match. So, I understand the supporters’ frustration. I understand that, absolutely and yes, it’s tough for us all.”

Potter should be judged now

While on one hand, you can argue that Potter doesn’t have the squad he wants to implement his style of play, but there are now serious warning signs that he might not be able to turn things around at the London Stadium.

When Potter took over, West Ham were in 14th place, and they are now in 17th. During his time in charge, Lopetegui managed 20 games in all, winning six, drawing nine and losing five. Meanwhile, Potter has overseen 15 games so far, winning three, drawing four and losing as many as eight, which is more than half. If the bottom three weren’t so far off, the Hammers may still not be safe, and this conversation would look very different if they were indeed still fighting for their lives, still yet to reach 40 points, currently on 36.

It’s clear the Irons have gone backwards since sacking Lopetegui - not to say that sacking decision was incorrect - but there is still a general sense that the former Chelsea boss will get a summer transfer window to put his stamp on the squad and effectively start again next season. Whether Potter should continue is for the West Ham board to decide, but this should not be a cut and dry argument.

If the Hammers are going to give out more money to spend this summer, they should be absolutely sure that the manage they have in charge of spending it has their full confidence, and ideally for years to come. You would have to question whether that can be said of Potter, who will now be walking a tightrope from the first kick of the season next season, given the new campaign will begin under the context of this disastrous run.

West Ham chief Karren Brady said of Lopetegui’s sacking: “Ultimately though, we have an ambitious project at this football club, and we have a responsibility to our loyal and passionate supporters to do all we can to keep that on track.”

The question the West Ham board must now ask themselves is whether Potter fulfils that requirement, because regardless of the context, it seems he has taken them even further off track since taking charge. The Irons are going to have to decide whether to correct course or risk further damage, and regardless of what they decide, it’s clear they should have that conversation this summer.

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