It’s not easy trying to cut through the fog surrounding West Ham at the moment, but it’s clear all is not well at the club despite conflicting reports on the future of Hammers gaffer Julen Lopetegui.
The Irons’ 0-0 draw with Everton was more a stay of execution than a miraculous escape for West Ham’s under-pressure head coach. It’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that we could lose the Premier League away fixture to Newcastle United after the international break—and that could really be the final straw for Lopetegui.
There’s talk of the board being patient and some reports that the club hierarchy is hopeful the Spaniard will remain at the London Stadium for the duration of his West Ham contract.
Hope is one thing, and expectation is quite another. I don’t believe for a second that the Irons’ board are 100% confident Lopetegui will turn things around. There must be doubts—major ones—because what’s being served up by Loppy and his coaching team is undoubtedly far less than what Sullivan and Křetínský thought they were getting.
The former Real Madrid boss has already lost the faith of many West Ham fans, though some still plead for time and patience. Unfortunately for “J-Lo,” his next two games are against Newcastle at St James’ Park, followed by Arsenal at home—and then we’re into December.
It could be argued that patience should be running thin, and at the very least, Lopetegui should be showing that his team and tactics have evolved since the season opener against Aston Villa.
All these things will weigh heavily on the minds of West Ham board members. If the Hammers’ gaffer can’t turn things around in the next two games, any preference for him to see out his contract may count for very little.
