Julen Lopetegui’s days look numbered at West Ham, with the club reportedly exploring other options, though they still back him for now. While it’s rare for Sullivan to sack a manager before the end of his contract, calls from Hammers fans to let Lopetegui go have grown louder.
Fabrizio Romano stated earlier today that “Lopetegui is under heavy scrutiny.”
Journalist Roshane Thomas also wrote on Saturday, “I don’t think Lopetegui is capable of turning this around. He was the wrong appointment. This team has regressed, has no identity, the players look despondent, and the formation/tactics are questionable.”
Indeed, Thomas is not alone in his view. West Ham’s head coach seems to be repeatedly apologising to fans, reaffirming that his team must do better, yet signs of improvement have been few.
The board ideally wants an experienced coach, effectively ruling out options like Edin Terzic, Michael Carrick, Kjetil Knutsen, and Will Still, who may be seen as gambles. Terzic’s spell at Borussia Dortmund, however, suggests this gamble could be worth it; he qualified for Champions League football, finished 5th, and reached the Champions League final last season, where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid.
Other names linked to the role include Jose Mourinho, currently managing Fenerbahce.
Graham Potter, the bookmakers’ favorite, is a free agent and checks many boxes. Despite his plaudits at Brighton, his win ratio was only 31.1% before joining Chelsea, where he was sacked in April 2023 with a 38.71% win ratio.
Ex-England manager Gareth Southgate has also been mentioned and is reportedly open to a return to club management.
Carlos Corberan at WBA has previously interested the board, yet, being Spanish and an ex-goalkeeper, he bears similarities to Lopetegui.
Brendan Rodgers has been suggested as well; however, currently at Celtic, pundit Chris Sutton stated on 606 that this would be a “step down” for Rodgers.
Paulo Fonseca might also soon be available. The Portuguese manager, currently at AC Milan, has experienced mixed results, with the Italian giants currently in eighth place. He was heavily linked to West Ham in the summer and was on a shortlist compiled by Steidten. In fact, Sullivan met Fonseca in 2018, but he reportedly declined the role, leading the club to hire Manuel Pellegrini.
The big outsider could be Rafael Benitez, whose stock has fallen after unsuccessful stints at Everton and Celta Vigo.
Other free agents the club might consider include Max Allegri (formerly of Juventus), Maurizio Sarri, Sergio Conceicao, or, perhaps more ambitiously, Xavi, who has had real success with Barcelona.
After supporting the current West Ham coach with nine new signings, expectations were higher for this season. Although the board has publicly backed Lopetegui for now, with fan discontent growing, it appears to be not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’ the club will make its decision. Just this morning Claret and Hugh’s highly placed source at the club confirmed the stakes couldn’t be higher – the Everton game in six days is now a ‘must-win’ for Lopetegui.
