West Ham United have now been offered an ex-Chelsea manager as a potential replacement for Julen Lopetegui, with the Spaniard facing his last chance saloon against Wolves in the Premier League on Monday.
Julen Lopetegui could be fired if West Ham fail to beat Wolves
It has been reported by reliable media sources that Lopetegui has been given one last chance to save his job against Wolves (The Telegraph), with insiders viewing the all-important clash as a “cup final” in terms of the 58-year-old’s future.
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A disastrous start to the season for Lopetegui was exacerbated by demoralising defeats to Arsenal and Leicester City last week, which piled even more pressure on the Spaniard, who’s led West Ham to just four league wins so far this season.
West Ham’s most recent results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Match | Date | Opponent | Competition | Result |
#16 | 03/12/2024 | Leicester City (A) | Premier League | 3-1 loss |
#15 | 30/11/2024 | Arsenal (H) | Premier League | 5-2 loss |
#14 | 26/11/2024 | Newcastle United (A) | Premier League | 2-0 win |
#13 | 09/11/2024 | Everton (H) | Premier League | 0-0 draw |
#12 | 02/11/2024 | Nottingham Forest (A) | Premier League | 3-0 loss |
#11 | 27/10/2024 | Man United (H) | Premier League | 2-1 win |
#10 | 19/10/2024 | Tottenham (A) | Premier League | 4-1 loss |
Lopetegui has been slammed on various occasions for his tactics, player selection and overall approach to games – with calls to relieve the ex-Spain boss of his duties prevalent long before the last few days.
There have been reports that “several” senior West Ham stars are not behind their manager, and other media sources believe that Lopetegui has frustrated key club figures with last-minute changes to game plans (GiveMeSport).
In response, the Hammers are drawing up contingency plans in case they’re forced to fire their current head coach, with reliable club source ExWHUemployee revealing earlier this week that they’ve held talks with multiple managers already.
Graham Potter, Sergio Conceicao, Kasper Hjulmand, Roger Schmidt, Thomas Frank, Edin Terzic, Massimiliano Allegri and Matthias Jaissle have all been linked with the potentially vacant post this week.
New candidates are emerging on a consistent basis, with former Chelsea, Juventus, Napoli and Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri also in the frame.
West Ham offered ex-Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri to replace Julen Lopetegui
Sources in Italy last month reported that West Ham have been considering Sarri as an option, and French news outlet Foot Mercato now backs this up with a new claim.
Indeed, it is believed West Ham have been “offered” Sarri, with David Sullivan and Tim Steidten apparently open to the possibility of handing him a job back in the Premier League.
Famed for his brand of “Sarri-ball”, which was successful at Napoli and drew admirers, the tactician boasts a Europa League triumph from his time at Chelsea and a Scudetto from his period in the dugout at Juve.
Called “extraordinary” on a tactical level by his former star midfielder Jorginho, the 65-year-old won Serie A’s Manager of the Year award in 2016/17 and guided Lazio to second place a year before he left the Stadio Olimpico.
Sarri does have major credentials, and if supporters want to see attacking football, he could be a good option considering that the Italian is known for being an offensive-minded coach (The Football Analyst).
