Julen Lopetegui is back on thin ice at West Ham and has once again has two games to save his job with pressure mounting.
West Ham took one step forward and two steps back last week and so did Julen Lopetegui.
A surprise victory at Newcastle saved the Spaniard from the axe.
But as the club’s owners waited for evidence it truly was a turning point, a 5-2 drubbing by Arsenal has suggested otherwise.
Once again it was the manner of West Ham’s capitulation that has set alarm bells ringing again among fans and in the boardroom.
It is the latest in a series of sorry collapses under the 58-year-old and supporters have been calling for change.
West Ham’s board sent a new two-game warning to Lopetegui in the wake of the Arsenal shocker.
If the Hammers don’t beat both Leicester and Wolves next then the manager will be under threat.
Should the unthinkable happen and the Irons lose both, it’s been made clear the ex Wolves boss will likely be fired.
Plan B activated by West Ham as Sullivan sounds out agent
It comes after Lopetegui survived the international break when a dozen managers were linked as replacements.
Now he’s under pressure again, there has been a big development in the corridors of power at the London Stadium.
Plan B is activated by West Ham as David Sullivan sounds out a manager’s agent and one source claims to know who it is.
West Ham are about to embark on a run of very winnable fixtures, on paper at least.
The Hammers play Leicester, Wolves, Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton next.
Given the targets and expectations before the start of the season, West Ham should be aiming for a maximum 15 points from those games.
Or 13 points as a minimum given how good Brighton have been under top Tim Steidten pick Fabian Hurzeler.
It has been confirmed by the club that Hurzeler was on West Ham’s shortlist but they felt it was too big a gamble and went with experience instead.
Top Hammers insider Sean Whetstone revealed overnight that Sullivan has put the wheels in motion on West Ham’s managerial plan B.
One source claims to know who West Ham are lining up
Whetstone says a mystery unnamed manager has been contacted via an agent.
It is with a view to replacing Lopetegui should things fail to improve over the coming run of games.
That has sparked intrigue among fans and one source has named who that man is.
“West Ham are sounding out a possible plan B through agents,” Whetstone said.
“But have stressed that no decision has been made as yet and this is just a potential contingency at this stage.
“The head coach will most likely have the next six games until the end of the calendar year to turn things around.”
According to a source on longstanding Hammers website KUMB, the man being readied is former Hammers coach Edin Terzic.
It’s claimed the German is being lined up ‘in case the worst possible outcome happens’.
If true then this will be the third time Terzic has been allegedly ‘put on standby’ to replace Lopetegui.
Terzic was sought out by West Ham after the 4-1 defeat to Spurs, according to a journalist close to technical director Steidten.
Terzic even turned down the Roma job as reports intensified that he could be set to return to West Ham over the international break.
Many Hammers fans were excited by the idea given Terzic’s achievements at Dortmund and the fact he was the tactical brain behind the club’s magnificent Farewell Boleyn campaign.
They say there’s no smoke without fire.
So the fact Terzic’s name continues to crop up when speculation reignites over Lopetegui’s future might be telling.
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