WEST Ham have appointed former Chelsea boss Graham Potter as their new head coach after sacking Julen Lopetegui.

Potter has agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract to return to management 20 months after he was dismissed by the Blues.

“I am delighted to be here,” Potter said. "It was important to me that I waited until a job came along that I felt was right for me and equally that I was the right fit for the club I am joining.

"That is the feeling I have with West Ham United. My conversations with the chairman and the board have been very positive and constructive.

"We share the same values of hard work and high energy to create the solid foundations that can produce success, and we are on the same wavelength in terms of what is needed in the short-term and then how we want to move the club forward in the medium to long term."

West Ham currently sit 14th in the Premier League, seven points above the relegation zone and 17 points clear of Saints.

Spaniard Lopetegui paid the price for back-to-back heavy defeats by Liverpool (5-0) and Manchester City (4-1) after beating Ivan Juric's Southampton on Boxing Day.

The 58 year old was appointed in May to replace David Moyes, who left the club at the end of last season after his contract expired.

Potter will take charge of his first match when West Ham travel to Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday.