West Ham Hires Former Chelsea Coach Graham Potter

FILE - Chelsea's head coach Graham Potter celebrates at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Chelsea at King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, March 11, 2023.(AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
FILE - Chelsea's head coach Graham Potter celebrates at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Chelsea at King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, March 11, 2023.(AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
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West Ham Hires Former Chelsea Coach Graham Potter

FILE - Chelsea's head coach Graham Potter celebrates at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Chelsea at King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, March 11, 2023.(AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
FILE - Chelsea's head coach Graham Potter celebrates at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Chelsea at King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, March 11, 2023.(AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)

West Ham hired Graham Potter as manager on Thursday, a day after Julen Lopetegui was fired.
Potter has been out of management since he was fired by Chelsea in 2023 after just seven months in the job at Stamford Bridge.
Potter takes over a team that has won only three of its last 11 games and is 14th in the standings — seven points above the relegation zone, The Associated Press reported.
Former Real Madrid and Spain coach Lopetegui paid the price for that poor run when his departure was confirmed on Wednesday — around eight months after he was hired to replace David Moyes.
Potter enjoyed an impressive rise after beginning his coaching career at Ostersunds in Sweden in 2011.
He took over at Swansea in 2018 and by 2022 was in charge of Premier League giant Chelsea after a stint a Brighton.
But his reputation took a hit at Chelsea, which was undergoing a turbulent period following the takeover by US owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital and a spend of $630 million on new signings. He lasted just six months after a run of just seven wins from 22 league games.



Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Ibn Seaidan Takes 1st in 'Challenger' Class, Al-Rajhi Maintains 2nd in Overall Rankings

Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
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Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Ibn Seaidan Takes 1st in 'Challenger' Class, Al-Rajhi Maintains 2nd in Overall Rankings

Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA

The fifth stage of the sixth annual Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia launched on Thursday, with competitors embarking on a journey from AlUla to Hail, covering a total distance of 492 km, including 428 km of timed special stages.

In the car category, American Seth Quintero of the "Toyota Gazoo" team claimed first place, completing the distance in 4 hours, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds. He narrowly edged out five-time champion Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah of the "Dacia Sandrider" team by just one second. Swedish driver Mattias Ekström of the "Ford Motorsport" team secured third place, only 8 seconds behind the leader.

South African Henk Lategan of "Toyota Gazoo" retained his lead in the overall car category standings, followed by Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al-Rajhi of the "Overdrive" team, who held onto second place despite finishing fifth in this stage. Swedish driver Mattias Ekström maintained third place, while Al-Attiyah climbed to fourth.

In the motorcycle category, Uruguayan Luciano Benavides on the "Red Bull KTM" team excelled, finishing the stage in 4 hours and 53 minutes. He beat Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren of the "Monster Energy Honda HRC" team by 47 seconds, with Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo of "Hero Motorsports" finishing third, 1 minute and 31 seconds behind the leader.

In the lightweight "Challenger" vehicles category, Saudi driver Yasir ibn Seaidan of the "BBR" team secured first place in the fifth stage with a time of 4 hours, 51 minutes, and 27 seconds. "Rebellion & Spierings" Dutch driver Paul Spierings finished second, 8 minutes and 22 seconds behind, while Qatari driver Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari of the "Nasser Racing" team came third, 8 minutes and 52 seconds behind the leader.

In the "SSV" lightweight vehicles category, Chilean Francisco Lopez Contardo of the "Can-Am Factory" team claimed first place with a time of 5 hours, 2 minutes, and 26 seconds. American Brock Heger of the "Sebastien Loeb Racing" team finished second, 20 minutes and 48 seconds behind, followed closely by his teammate, Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait, 20 minutes and 51 seconds behind the leader.

In the truck category, Czech driver Martin Macík of the "MM Technology" team finished first with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute, and 53 seconds, followed by teammate Dutchman Kees Koolen, 18 minutes and 42 seconds behind, while Dutchman Mitchel van den Brink of the "Eurol Rally Sport" team claimed third place, 39 minutes and 37 seconds behind the leader.
The Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia will pause tomorrow for a rest day, allowing competitors to recover. The rally will resume on Saturday with the sixth stage, covering a route from Hail to Dawadmi, spanning 829 km, including 605 km of timed special stages.