New Delhi: English outfit West Ham United have decided to let go of manager Julen Lopetegui after just little over seven months in charge of the London club. The Spaniard was brought in to the club in May 2024 after the end of last season to replace former manager David Moyes. Lopetegui came in with prior Premier League experience having already been in charge of fellow Premier League club Wolves.
The 58-year-old manager, who was formerly the manager of La Liga sides Real Madrid and Sevilla, came to the Hammers with a wealth of managerial experience but hadn’t been able to hit the ground running at the London Stadium. He oversaw a huge spending spree in the summer that saw the club bring in nine new recruits including his former Wolves captain, Max Kilman.
West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the Club.
— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 8, 2025
West Ham spent over a £100 million in the summer and brought in star players like Niklas Fullkrug, Crysencio Summerville, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka but their signings haven’t been able to help the club climb up the league table. West Ham currently sit 14th in the Premier League having won just six games from their first 20 of the season. Lopetegui oversaw nine losses in this time including heavy home defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool. Lopetegui’s sacking comes off the back of successive humiliating losses to Liverpool and Manchester City, where they lost 5-0 and 4-1 respectively.
Graham Potter to reportedly take charge of the club
🚨⚒️ BREAKING: Julen Lopetegui has been sacked by West Ham, confirmed.
Graham Potter set to become the new head coach with contracts being checked. pic.twitter.com/ca5EuLCSG3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 8, 2025
West Ham have decided to act quickly on getting their replacement in for the Spaniard. Former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter, who has been a free agent since being sacked as Chelsea boss in April 2023, has been earmaked to replace the Spaniard. Potter had been linked with many jobs since leaving Chelsea including the Leicester City, Southampton and Wolves jobs earlier in the season but turned them down.
While the length of Potter’s contract isn’t yet known, it is reported that the Englishman will join the club initially on a deal till the end of the season. He would then probably take over the club beyond this season depending on how the second half of the season turns out. This announcement comes at a time of uncertainty at the club as club sources have confirmed that sporting director Tim Steidten has not been working out of the club’s training ground.
West Ham have crunch games coming up in the season as they face Aston Villa in a tricky FA Cup third round encounter before facing off Fulham and Crystal Palace in successive London derbies in their next two games in the Premier League. Potter would be in charge of all those games if he is announced as Lopetegui’s successor in the coming days. Former West Ham assistant manager Edin Terzic and former Juventus boss Max Allegri were the other names in the running to replace Lopetegui but it seems like the West Ham board went ahead with the one with proven Premier League experience.
Premier League club West Ham United have decided to part ways with manager Julen Lopetegui after just seven months in charge of the club, having just taken over in May 2024. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
