West Ham have parted ways with Julen Lopetegui with the club languishing just six points above the relegation zone.
It’s been a difficult season for West Ham as they’ve won just six of their 20 Premier League games.
They appeared to have turned a corner over the festive period by going four games unbeaten.
But they were thrashed 5-0 and 4-1 by Liverpool and Manchester City in their most recent games with pressure mounting on Lopetegui.
Julen Lopetegui has been sacked by West Ham
Reuters
The writing appeared to be on the wall for the Spaniard when West Ham cancelled his scheduled press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
There were also growing reports linking Graham Potter with the Hammers job with claims David Sullivan had already been holding talks with the former Chelsea boss.
A statement from West Ham on Wednesday afternoon read: “West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the Club.
“The first half of the 2024/25 season has not aligned with the Club’s ambitions and the Club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives.
“The Club can confirm that Assistant Head Coach Pablo Sanz, Head of Performance Oscar Caro, Head Analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, Fitness Coach Borja De Alba and Technical Coach Edu Rubio have also left with immediate effect.
“The Board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.
“The process of appointing a replacement is underway.
“The Club will be making no further comment at this time.”
Graham Potter is the favourite to take the West Ham job
PA
Lopetegui had been under pressure at West Ham for some time, staving off the sack after a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Wolves last month.
But despite a four-match unbeaten streak, involving three draws and a win, heavy losses to Liverpool and City have turned the tide in the boardroom.
As well as Potter, the Hammers are believed to have spoken to other coaches including former AC Milan boss Paulo Fonseca and ex-PSG coach Christophe Galtier.
Post comments (0)