Julen Lopetegui has been unable to shake off the uncertainty over his future at West Ham – and the club’s hierarchy are already lining up a potential replacement
Julen Lopetegui has been unable to shake off the uncertainty over his future at West Ham – and the club’s hierarchy are already lining up a potential replacement Julen Lopetegui has been unable to shake off the uncertainty over his future at West Ham – and the club’s hierarchy are already lining up a potential replacement
Julen Lopetegui could be sacked as West Ham manager if his team does not show signs of improvement over their next two matches.
Lopetegui has been under pressure ever since taking over from David Moyes in the summer, with many Hammers fans unsatisfied with his appointment. The Spaniard has won just seven of his 21 matches in charge and the 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool on Sunday saw renewed anger inside the London Stadium.
West Ham came into the Liverpool game on a four-match unbeaten run – the best of Lopetegui’s reign – but they were swept aside by the Premier League leaders. They sit 13th in the table, nearer to the relegation zone than the top four – a major disappointment given the investment in the squad in the summer transfer window.
Speculation over Lopetegui’s future has been rife for months, with Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick and former Juventus manager Max Allegri among those who have been considered. Lopetegui now faces a crucial period, with talkSPORT reporting that former Chelsea manager Graham Potter has been on stand-by for several weeks and is ready to take over.
The Hammers play Manchester City next up in the Premier League on Saturday before facing Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup. Should he lose those fixtures, then Lopetegui could be sacked.
West Ham were completely outplayed by Liverpool on Sunday, with Lopetegui’s tactical switch to move Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the left of defence to mark Mohamed Salah not working. “This has been a very disappointing day for us and our fans. We didn’t show a good face in front of our fans,” he admitted post-match.
“We didn’t deserve any more today. We have to accept it. We have to look forward and know we have things to improve in these kind of matches. We have been very far off them today. We were doing well in the last month but today was a tough day for us, we have to be honest. Being 3-0 down to Liverpool at half-time is very difficult.”
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Lopetegui managed to hold onto his job after a hugely damaging 3-1 defeat by Leicester on December 3. After the match, he was forced to respond to speculation he could be sacked. “I understand your question,” he said. “We have a lot of matches. I am sure with this attitude we are going to be able to achieve many more points. We are very frustrated.
“At the end of the season, maybe we will be talking another way. There are a lot of matches in front of us, a lot of points. I believe in these players, I believe in the team, and I believe the second half of the season is going to be much better.”
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