It has been a long time coming but fans of the East London club, West Ham United, have finally heaved a sigh of relief following the news of Julen Lopetegui’s sack.
The manager joined the club in the summer after choosing not to renew the contract of David Moyes, who led them to UEFA Europa Conference League glory in the 2022/23 season and consistently got them into places where they could challenge for European places.
The Scotsman was let go after a season where he looked bereft of ideas and the Hammers, in trying to revamp the club, brought in Lopetegui. They also had a busy summer in the transfer window – one of the busiest in the Premier League in fact – bringing in signings like Jean-Clair Todibo and Niclas Füllkrug to strengthen their team. However, the former Spain national team manager was unable to make it work with them and will now leave with the team in 14th place after 20 matches and only seven points above the relegation zone, thanks to only being able to rack up six wins.
Lopetegui also fell out with a couple of figures at the club as well as some of his players, most notably Todibo, who was part of the £100 million in signings that the club brought in to help the Spaniard in his first season.
Now, Lopetegui will be replaced by Graham Potter, who has been out of a job since being sacked by Chelsea in 2022/23. The report which claims that the former England midfielder and Swansea manager is willing to accept the role, also claims that he is only holding off on putting pen to paper as he needs to be sure of the exact number of years that the East Londoners want him to manage their club.
The sack of Lopetegui is immediate but Potter’s appointment could take some time, thanks to the contract negotiations between the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager and West Ham.
Potter may be coming in together with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has not set the world on fire at Chelsea following a move to Stamford Bridge from the EFL Championship-winning Leicester City in the summer.
The Blues brought in Enzo Maresca, who led the Foxes back to the Premier League by winning last season’s second division title and the Italian brought Dewsbury-Hall along with him from the club. However, the English midfielder has been unable to beat the others in the team to a starting berth and has spent more time out of matchday squads than in them.
West Ham like the player’s profile and are believed to have made contact with his entourage as they prepare for another window of signings.
