West Ham are on the verge of sacking Julen Lopetegui and are considering replacing him with Graham Potter.
Lopetegui has been in charge since the summer, when he replaced David Moyes, and has overseen heavy defeats by Liverpool and Manchester City in his past two matches.
Potter, the former Chelsea and Brighton manager, has held talks with West Ham. He has been out of work since his seven-month spell at Stamford Bridge ended in April 2023 and last month had discussions with West Ham about a possible six-month deal.
One of West Ham’s previous targets, Sérgio Conceição, has joined Milan, and the former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic is thought to be cool on the idea of replacing Lopetegui. Concerns over Max Allegri’s English make a move for the former Juventus manager an unlikely appointment.
Lopetegui was close to being sacked last month but saw through a four-game unbeaten run before West Ham were thrashed 5-0 at home by Liverpool and 4-1 at Manchester City.
West Ham’s technical director, Tim Steidten, is staying away from the training ground after a further breakdown in his relationship with Lopetegui.
Multiple sources have said Lopetegui asked Steidten to stay away from the training ground. This has been denied by West Ham, who have attributed the German’s absence to him focusing on this month’s transfer window, but the situation is understood to be tense.
Steidten, who has an office at the training ground and has faced scrutiny over some of his signings, has been involved in identifying potential replacements for Lopetegui. The duo are not on good terms.
Steidten was also told to stay away from training by Lopetegui’s predecessor, David Moyes, last season.
West Ham, who are 14th in the Premier League, seven points above the bottom three, face a trip to Aston Villa on Friday in the FA Cup third round. They have shipped goals at an alarming rate and face key home league games against Fulham and Crystal Palace next week.
West Ham created a number of chance against City last Saturday but poor defending has weakened Lopetegui’s position and the forward line has been hit by the unavailability of Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen, who is out for two months with a broken foot.
West Ham are looking at additions in attack and are considering a loan move for Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, who is also wanted by Fulham. The Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan is also of interest and a move for the Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka is a possibility.
West Ham also like the Manchester City youngster James McAtee, although they have limited funds available to spend.
Insiders have said that Steidten, who was hired in the summer of 2023, is still playing an active role in recruitment. But while the German’s role has not been downgraded, questions have been asked about his work and he has become unpopular with some staff members.
Doubts over Steidten’s knowledge of English football have surfaced and it is understood the board are taking a more active role in transfers this month. – Guardian
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