Gary Jacob reports for The Times that Julen Lopetegui is under increasing pressure at West Ham United, and he’s been given his second warning by the club that results must improve.
Lopetegui was reportedly given a similar warning after losing his first three home league matches of the season. Though West Ham have won two games since then, against Ipswich Town and Manchester United, they’ve also lost three.
That trio of defeats includes a League Cup thrashing by Liverpool, and heavy defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and most recently Nottingham Forest.
Lopetegui was only appointed by West Ham in May, but he’s already under pressure to turn things around or face an early exit.
West Ham face Everton in their final game before the international break, after which they’ll play Newcastle United and Arsenal. Those three games are now looking vital for Lopetegui’s future, it seems unlikely he’ll get a third warning.
Lopetegui will be sweating on the outcome of Mohammed Kudus’ FA suspension case over the next couple of days.
The Times suggest Kudus’ red-card ban could be extended by a game, and other outlets have claimed it could be two or three. He’s already serving a three-game ban, with just one game of that initial suspension still to go.
If Kudus gets away with just a one-game ban extension, he would miss the Everton and Newcastle United matches before returning against Arsenal. If it’s two or three, he’ll miss Arsenal and potentially Leicester City as well.
That would effectively mean another month out of action, with no cup football to serve the ban in.
