West Ham make last-minute decision as manager Julen Lopetegui faces being sacked
West Ham have made a strange decision amid ongoing pressure for manager Julen Lopetegui.
According to multiple news sources, the Hammers are on the verge of sacking Lopetegui, and replacing him with former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter.
Lopetegui took training as usual on Tuesday, January 7, but his spell in charge is set to come to an end less than eight months after he took over from David Moyes, with the Hammers this morning (January 8) calling off a press conference at which the current boss was set to preview Friday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Aston Villa.
The Spaniard has paid the price for back-to-back heavy defeats by Liverpool and Manchester City over the Christmas period, with the Hammers a lowly 14th in the Premier League.
The way the situation has played out has not reflected well on West Ham, however. Lopetegui has been dutifully continuing preparations for the Villa despite knowing the search for his successor was well under way.
Technical director Tim Steidten, who is understood to have wanted to appoint Potter in the summer, has been staying away from the training ground amid reports of a rift between him and the 58-year-old.
Steidten’s own position is also under scrutiny after the German, 45, oversaw a £130m spending spree in the summer, bringing in nine players including Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug and Wolves captain Max Kilman. Results have been poor and Potter will take over a side who have picked up just eight points from their last eight matches.
Potter, 49, has been out of management for almost two years after he was sacked by Chelsea, just seven months into a five-year contract.