“I expect that”: Graham Potter admits West Ham "struggle", comments on future after confirming owner talks

West Ham United head coach Graham Potter has confirmed that he has held “positive talks” with the club’s owners amidst speculation over his future at the London Stadium.

The 50-year-old has won only six of his 25 matches in charge of the Hammers across all competitions since his appointment in January, losing four of his opening five Premier League games at the start of the new season.

A surprise 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest in August represents the only top-flight success for West Ham, who sit down in 19th in the table having conceded a division-high 13 goals.

Potter has overseen back-to-back home defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace over the last fortnight, with a 2-1 loss to the latter last time out increasing the scrutiny on his position in the dugout.

The former Chelsea and Brighton boss admitted that he is "feeling the pressure" in charge of West Ham following their latest defeat to Palace where his players was booed off at the London Stadium.

Potter is the heavy bookmakers’ favourite to become the next Premier League manager to lose his job, and recent report have claimed that West Ham’s hierarchy - who have been heavily criticised by the club’s supporters in recent weeks - have considered potential successors to their current head coach.

Potter unfazed by West Ham speculation, confirms “positive talks” with owners

However, The Telegraph claims that Potter retains the faith of senior West Ham players who still believe that he can turn the club’s fortunes around following a disappointing start to the campaign.

Potter addressed the speculation surrounding his future at a pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Monday’s Premier League trip to David Moyes’s Everton.

"[Speculation] doesn't affect me,” Potter told reporters. “It's other people's job to create speculation. It’s part of the noise of the Premier League.

“If results aren't good, then it happens and I expect that because they haven't been good enough. I have nothing to complain about in that perspective.

"I've spoken to the owners, as we do every week. They're positive talks but no-one is happy with where we're at and how we want to improve.

"At the same time, you have to look at the context of the situation and not get caught up in the noise... We're all the same. If you don't win enough, you're under pressure and scrutiny.

“If the conclusion is that the results aren't good enough and the coach is the problem, then the consequences are the consequences. There is another way to look at it, but whether we do is another thing."

Potter: “Anything that's worth doing in life, you have to struggle”

"Every Premier League job is a hard job,” Potter added. “That's stating a fact. It's normal. When you think about how many coaches there are in the world, and you're one of the 20 in the Premier League, it's hard because there are resources everywhere, everyone is good and it's the highest level.

"From the outside, I thought this would be a challenge and that's why I took the job. It's a massive challenge but an important challenge.

"Anything that's worth doing in life, you have to struggle. I've been coaching for 15 years and football is tough because margins are small, it can be unfair and the best team doesn't always win.

"My experience is that you have to assess the club along the way, from different start points that bring different challenges."

Asked how long he may have to change things at West Ham, Potter said: "I'd like it to change now in the next game. We all want that, but we play sport in the highest league so nothing is straightforward.

"We concentrate on what we can control and not about timeframes or anything like that."

Meanwhile, Potter has confirmed that Aaron Wan-Bissaka is still out with a "stomach problem" and there are no fresh injury concerns for the Hammers, but Tomas Soucek is suspended.