The Spaniard, close to Milan in the summer, leaves the Hammers in 14th place in the table with 23 points in 20 games
Julen Lopetegui is no longer West Ham manager. The Spanish coach who Milan had their eyes on in the summer, before the fan revolt convinced the club to turn to other names, received the sack from the London club together with his entire staff. “The first part of the season was not in line with the club’s ambitions and it was therefore decided to act to safeguard those objectives” wrote West Ham in which they made official a choice that had been in the air for days. All signs of replacing him point to Graham Potter, who would find himself back on the Premier League bench almost two years after his dismissal from Chelsea.
the farewell
—
Lopetegui never convinced at West Ham. The Hammers invested in the market, but the 58-year-old manager who also managed Spain and Real Madrid in his career was never able to give his team a shape and for months remained clinging to the bench, despite a mediocre situation. The last two defeats, against Liverpool and Manchester City, were fatal. Lopetegui leaves West Ham in 14th place in the table with 23 points in 20 games, an open series of two defeats and just two wins in the last 8 Premier League games. The farewell was not easy: for two days Lopetegui was kept in limbo, forced to direct training knowing that his adventure at West Ham was at an end. He did it again this morning, before the club made his dismissal official at 5.18pm Italian time
replacement
—
Potter is expected to sit on the West Ham bench as early as Friday evening at Aston Villa in their FA Cup debut. The deal is practically settled, based on the remainder of this 2024-25 guaranteed season and an automatic option for the next two seasons if certain sporting results are achieved. The Hammers had also explored Max Allegri as a candidate, but his reluctance to take on the team in the running (and doubts about his English) convinced West Ham to take other paths.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED