West Ham sack Lopetegui after ‘agreeing’ to Potter’s ‘contract demand’ with appointment ‘close’
West Ham United have confirmed that they have sacked Julen Lopetegui and it’s been reported that Graham Potter is set to replace him.
West Ham’s underwhelming appointment of Lopetegui in the summer was widely criticised after he replaced David Moyes at the London Stadium.
The Hammers faithful grew tired of Moyes’ pragmatic tactical approach and demanded an overhaul, but Lopetegui was a like-for-like replacement.
The London outfit were active in the summer and made some good signings (on paper, at least), but Lopetegui has been unable to get the best out of his squad and it was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that he’s lost his job.
The former Wolves and Real Madrid boss leaves with West Ham placed 14th in the Premier League and seven points clear of the relegation zone. They have only won two of their previous eight matches.
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In a club statement, they said: ‘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.’
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Former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter has been heavily linked with West Ham recently and a report from The Guardian has revealed they have ‘agreed’ to his ‘contract demand’.
‘West Ham have sacked Julen Lopetegui after talks progressed positively with Graham Potter, who is close to agreeing a two-and-a-half-year contract to take over as the club’s manager.
‘A lunchtime press conference with Lopetegui had been cancelled on Wednesday morning and, barring an unexpected hiccup, Potter will be in charge for Friday’s FA Cup tie at Aston Villa.
‘The process stalled on Tuesday because West Ham’s preference was for Potter to take over until the end of the season, whereas the former Brighton and Chelsea manager was pushing for a longer deal.
‘West Ham have agreed in principle to Potter’s demand for a contract to 2027 and although a deal has not been sealed the way is clear for him to return to coaching for the first time since he left Chelsea after seven months in April 2023.
‘Lopetegui is understood to have attended work as usual on Wednesday morning as he awaited confirmation of his departure. He took training on Tuesday despite knowing West Ham had decided to sack him but cancelled a team meal scheduled for Tuesday night.’
