New Delhi: West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has long been under pressure after failing to lead the Hammers to a good start this season. The London club spent heavily in the summer and expectations were high but the season hasn’t gone according to plan with the Irons sitting 14th in the league table after more than half the season has been played out. Lopetegui has seen his side lose half of their Premier League games this season which has led to the club’s fans calling out for the manager to be sacked.
The Spaniard had been under heavy scrutiny since October and was on the verge of being sacked in December before winning the ‘El Sackico’ against Wolves. That win prompted a four game unbeaten run for the Hammers but they were sent crashing down following heavy defeats in successive games. West Ham have lost their previous two league games against Manchester City and Liverpool by a combined scoreline of 9-1, losing 5-0 at home to Liverpool and 4-1 away to Manchester City.
West Ham have cancelled their scheduled press conference with Julen Lopetegui, as talks progress with Graham Potter over taking over at the London Stadium ❌ pic.twitter.com/Eg6c1x0N8x
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 8, 2025
These heavy losses seem to have been the final straw for the West Ham hierarchy and rumors have been growing strongly since Monday that the Spaniard is nearing the end of his time at the London stadium. Adding fuel to fire is the news that West Ham have today cancelled a pre-planned press conference ahead of their FA Cup third round clash against Aston Villa. This news has seemed to have all but confirmed that the Hammers are planning to part ways with their manager.
West Ham have already earmarked their replacement for Lopetegui
🚨 West Ham and Graham Potter’s camp are discussing details of the contract in order to proceed with the agreement.
All parties optimistic after spending last two days in talks, still waiting on final key points to get it sealed. pic.twitter.com/Q7kzt1HaA5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 8, 2025
Ever since Lopetegui’s struggles have become evident, a host of managers continue to be linked to the West Ham job. The club only recently won the UEFA Conference League and their summer spending spree shows that the club has ambitions to play in Europe regularly making it a very sought after job for managers, especially those sitting without a club currently.
Names like Edin Terzic, who was previously an assistant manager at West Ham, former Juventus boss Max Allegri and the recently sacked AC Milan manager Paulo Fonseca, have all been linked with the job in the past. However, the club hierarchy seems to have gone for a more Premier League proven option. West Ham have reportedly earmarked Graham Potter as the man to replace Lopetegui once the manager is sacked.
The former Chelsea and Brighton boss impressed during his time as Brighton manager but has been out of work since being let go by Chelsea in April 2023. Talks between West Ham and Potter seemed to have stalled at one point over the length of the contract being offered but a report from The Guardian claims that those details have now been ironed out and that the Englishman is poised to takeover from the Spaniard.
Premier League club West Ham United have cancelled a pre-planned press conference for today amidst growing concerns over the future of current manager Julen Lopetegui ahead of their FA Cup clash. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
