Premier League
It’s Over! West Ham To Sack Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui is facing an increasingly volatile atmosphere at West Ham amid a growing feeling that his position is no longer stable, according to the club’s former scout.
Mick Brown, who left the London Stadium alongside David Moyes in June and remains very well-connected at the club, exclusively told Football Insider that the board’s confidence in the manager’s abilities is fading.
Having initially decided to stick behind Lopetegui, the run of poor results so far this season has led to second thoughts, and the pressure has now ramped up again.
Brown told Football Insider in September that the owners were reluctant to make a rushed decision about the manager and remain wary of making “another mistake”.
Now, following a 0-0 draw against Everton at home, the Hammers have won just three of their opening 11 games of the season and are sitting 14th in the league.
Following Moyes’ departure at the end of last season, the new manager was tasked with picking up where the former boss left off – something he has so far failed to do.
It was also said that the board’s extensive backing of Lopetegui in the transfer market has raised the pressure to get results and show a return for their high spending.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience working closely with managers including a spell as Sir Alex Ferguson’s number two at Man United, has now questioned his relationship with the higher-ups in East London amid an unstable situation.
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“The situation at West Ham is very volatile,” he told Football Insider.
“He could lose his job and be sacked immediately, at any time, things can change with the click of a finger.
“I’m not sure how good the relationship between the manager, the sporting director, and the owner is, but at the start of the season, I know it wasn’t good.
“They bought a lot of players for him and not many of them have turned up yet.
“That’s only put more pressure on him because if they spend big money, they want to see returns.
“When he was appointed to take over from Moysey, they expected him to pick up where he left off and keep them moving up the table.
Julen Lopetegui, Manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotsp…
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolverhampton Wanderers FC via Getty Images
“Ultimately, though, the results haven’t been good enough. They were lucky in the win against Man United and you could argue against Palace too.
“From what I’ve heard, they were keen to give him time at first, but that faith is fading quickly.”
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