With West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui facing a must-win game against Everton this weekend, bookmakers have begun shortening their odds on the Spaniard’s tenure with the Hammers.
Lopetegui’s odds to be the next Premier League manager to leave have dropped from 12/1 to just 9/4 after our 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. This leaves the 58-year-old second only to Southampton boss Russell Martin in the sack race odds.
However, the list of bookmakers’ candidates to replace J-Lo makes for chilling reading, particularly the top three names.
Graham Potter, Edin Terzic, and Gareth Southgate top the list of potential replacements, all sharing one notable factor: they’re out of work.
Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva of Fulham, and Brentford’s Thomas Frank have rightly emerged as standout realistic candidates, gaining traction among Irons fans. All have excelled at smaller clubs than West Ham and meet the club’s unofficial requirement of having Premier League experience.
Despite the bookmakers’ top three, it’s hard to see West Ham appointing Gareth Southgate. Lopetegui might yet keep his job if he wins convincingly against Everton.
If he doesn’t, it seems bookmakers have a clear idea of who the Hammers board may target.
