West Ham weighing up whether to sack Lopetegui

Following Saturday’s severe defeat at Manchester City, West Ham are considering firing Julen Lopetegui.

Lopetegui has already been fired, according to Hammers sources, but the former coach of Real Madrid and Spain is currently under enormous pressure.

Lopetegui, 58, was on the brink of being sacked prior to last month’s home game with Wolves. But victory in that match triggered a four-game unbeaten run, West Ham’s best of the season.

However, West Ham fell to Manchester City 4-1, placing them 14th in the table, seven points above the relegation zone, after a humiliating 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool.

Tim Steidten, the technical director of West Ham, has been spotted speaking with Graham Potter, a former Chelsea and Brighton boss, who has previously been linked with the Hammers job.

The image has been shared on social media. It’s been reported as being a recent photo, but this hasn’t been independently verified.

In the summer, Lopetegui took over as manager of West Ham after David Moyes left at the end of his contract. However, the former Wolves boss has not been able to improve either the team’s performance or style, for which Moyes was heavily criticised.

Steidten is no longer employed by the club’s training facility, according to club officials, who have privately confirmed this. Moyes and the former Bayer Leverkusen technical director split at the end of last season.

According to West Ham sources, Steidten’s decision allows him to work on transfer targets at the moment. After Jarrod Bowen, West Ham’s captain, broke his foot and injured Michail Antonio, both seriously in a car accident last month, that club needed a striker.