It feels like it could be a long old season for West Ham United this year.
The East Londoners may have beaten Nottingham Forest last time out, but with three defeats before that, it feels like Graham Potter is already on borrowed time.
It’s not just the defeats that have been worrying, but the manner of them, losing 3-0 to newly promoted Sunderland, being thrashed 5-1 by London rivals Chelsea, and blowing a lead away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Unsurprisingly, the Irons have been linked with a host of potential replacements in recent weeks, including former player Frank Lampard.
Frank Lampard could replace Graham Potter
With just six wins in 23 games, it’s not hard to imagine any number of managers doing a better job than Potter in East London, including Lampard.
The Hammers have reportedly already been in contact with the former player, and it’s easy to see why they might consider him a worthwhile gamble.
Since taking charge of Coventry City, the 47-year-old has won 20 games, drawn seven and lost 12, which isn’t too bad at all considering the hyper-competitive nature of the Championship.
Moreover, since the season began, the Sky Blues have been absolutely flying, scoring 14 goals, conceding just six and taking eight points from a possible 12.
Moreover, while the former Chelsea legend didn’t exactly blow anyone away the last time he managed in the Premier League, he was still able to keep Everton from going down and averaged 1.75 points per game during his first stint in the Stamford Bridge dugout.
In all, Lampard looks to have further developed as a manager and could be the answer to West Ham’s Potter-shaped problems.
However, there is another manager on the market who we think would do an even better job at the London Stadium and help the likes of Jarrod Bowen reach another level.
The manager West Ham should hire over Lampard
Now, although we think Lampard would do a better job managing West Ham than Potter, an even better option than him might be Marco Rose.
Manager Focus
Granted, the German manager hasn’t actually been linked with the club yet, but since leaving RB Leipzig in March of this year, he has been without a club.
So, why would the East Londoners want to hire the 48-year-old?
Well, one of the most significant reasons is that he’s a manager who tends to get the very best out of his attacking talent, and as a result, plays some exhilarating football.
For example, in the 20/21 season, Borussia Dortmund scored 75 goals in the Bundesliga, but then by the end of the following season, when Rose was in charge, they’d moved up a place in the table and scored 85 goals.
Mönchengladbach
88
47%
0
Dortmund
55
59%
0
RB Leipzig
128
56%
3
The same happened at Borrussia Mönchengladbach, as they finished the 18/19 season having scored 55 goals, which increased to 66 the following campaign and 64 the year after that.
Moreover, while the effectiveness of Leipzig’s attack did vary a bit more during his tenure, the former RB Salzburg boss led them to a DFB Pokal triumph.
So, just imagine what the “outstanding” tactician, as dubbed by Dortmund legend Marco Reus, could do with players like Jarrod Bowen, who, even in this system, continues to be a real goalscoring threat.
Finally, even if you ignore the argument that he’ll bring a more entertaining brand of football to the club, you can just look at his overall managerial record.
Games
458
235
463
Wins
274
103
191
Draws
84
47
123
Losses
100
85
149
Points per Game
1.98
1.51
1.50
In 458 matches, he has managed to maintain an average of 1.98 points per game – and win two league titles in Austria – whereas Lampard has averaged 1.51 points per game and Potter an even less impressive 1.50.
Ultimately, even though he hasn’t been linked with the club, West Ham should do what they can to hire Rose, and not only would he be an upgrade on Potter, but his attacking style could get even more out of Bowen.