Away from the usual names being mentioned as replacements, away from the London Stadium and away from awkward questions, Julen Lopetegui has escaped for a few days to northern Spain to spend time with his family. And who can blame him? Looking tired, drawn and strained, his West Ham team slogging its way to a zero-zero draw against the other worst side in the Premier League in a game which Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker described as ‘the worst PL game they’d ever seen’.
Lopetegui would be forgiven for staying in Spain and e mailing in his resignation. Just the small matter of £6 million in compensation that he’d lose by quitting – so don’t expect him to repeat his ‘Wolves’ walkout any time soon. Broadcasters and pundits continue to assert that his time at West Ham is ending. Latest on talkSPORT is Darren Bent who made an interesting comment regarding a candidate to replace him,
‘Lopetegui has to go but [Graham] Potter better fit than Ruud’ – suggesting Ruud Van Nistelrooy may be in with a shout and would certainly be better placed than the Spaniard to take West Ham forward. Last week Bent again suggested Van Nistelrooy might be in with a shout at West Ham.
Too Risky? Potential head coach Ruud Van Nistelrooy
I’m relieved that common sense prevailed and both co-hosts settled on the ‘Graham Potter’ idea as a fully fledged ready-to-hit-the-ground-running PL quality coach rather than Van Nistelrooy who certainly produced some reaction from his Manchester United team in an emotionally charged few games.
However running a PL team for several seasons is a slightly more complex issue and right now, after the pending ‘failure’ of Lopetegui, West Ham dare not gamble with a high-risk signing. Potter is certainly the safest pair of hands with Premier League expertise who is still likely to improve playing style and long term progression. Let us hope those in the boardroom at West Ham make a similarly sensible, balanced decision!
