From todays headlines there are still plenty who think that there is an active shortlist to replace Julen Lopetegui in the West Ham United hot seat. A quick scroll around the usual sites reveals Terzic, Marco Silva, Graham Potter, Tomas Frank – all apparently ‘ready to step in if asked’.
You have to ask yourself – would you really see any manager or head coach step away from an existing job within a top tier of football to come to West Ham United? The club is in crisis and I can give you three reasons that immediately spring to mind why any coach with an existing job would steer well clear:
- There is an obvious spat between Sullivan and Steidten. Toxic atmospheres don’t bode well for coaches. One doesn’t know if the other is about to jump ship for Arsenal.
- The Money’s all gone: West Ham profess to have blown the transfer budget for this season and for PSR there is nothing to spend unless players are sold. Who wants to inherit a Lopetegui/Steidten hybrid squad with its huge deficiencies in midfield and up-front?
- The club’s ‘superstar’ is facing a lifetime ban from the sport at the end of a long troubling FA enquiry which can embroil the club in further legal twists and turns if an appeal is needed. The only creative midfielder already lost his form – how would West Ham cope if he lost his livelihood too?
Add into the equation that David Sullivan ‘does not pay compensation’ to other clubs for their managers. So 100% rule out a head coach working at present. Amorim was turned down because he had no Premier League experience so bear that in mind too as you read the headlines professing to know who’s ‘on standby’.
Quite clearly any candidate for the job – even if it be in January or February next year in time for the ‘relegation battle’ if Lopetegui doesn’t get his act together –will need to be an out of work coach with Premier League experience with absolutely nothing to lose. Hardly a set of qualifications likely to bring a top-calibre replacement: Even then you’d question the sanity of those that do consider coming to a currently pretty toxic West Ham United .
