After a tenure of only 230 days Julen Lopetegui has been sacked by West Ham United. He is the fifth EPL manager to be sacked this season.A statement on the club website reads:
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.
Julen was in charge for twenty-two games in which there were seven victories, five draws, and ten losses.
There had been expectation that his tenure was in trouble going into the December league match against his former managerial club, Woverhampton Wanderers. A 2-1 victory, followed by draws with Bournemouth and Brighton as well as an away victory against Southampton, seemed to have reduced the pressure. It returned with back to back drubbings by a rampant Liverpool, and a Manchester City team refinding some form.
A picture of a club official in talks with out of work Graham Potter fired speculation that the board were considering replacing Julen and there were rumors as early as yesterday that the Spaniard had been fired. These rumors were denied.
Ahead of Friday's third round FA Cup tie with Aston Villa there was a press conference scheduled for 13:15 GMT today, this was cancelled early in the morning. This followed Julen cancelling a team bonding meal which had been planned for Tuesday evening.
By mid-afternoon it was confirmed that the manager, his assistant, head of performance, head analyst, fitness coach, and technical coach, had all left the club.
West Ham currently sit in fourteenth place, on the same poibnts as Manchester United. While they have scored one more goal than the other United, West Ham have conceded eleven goals more. With nine of those coming in just the last two games, against two of the biggest beasts in the league, there is a strong argument that Julen's departure is precipitous and that he deserved more time.
That being said, his 31% win rate and style of football has done little to endear himself to a fanbase who hope for both exciting, attacking, football and to be higher up the table.
With the recent picture suspicion that Graham Potter may be in line for the role is obvious, but reports suggest Paulo Fonseca and Christophe Galtier have both been spoken to.
The incoming manager may have some space to bring in a player or two and face league games with a team below them - Crystal Palace - and two teams with their own patchy form - Fulham and Aston Villa - before the end of the month, as well as the FA bout with Villa this weekend.
Whoever is offered, and accepts, the role will eb expected to offer a swift bounce and look to move the team up the table towards the European places.
EDIT
According to the BBC Graham Potter has agreed a two-and-a-half year deal to become West Ham United manager
text by stuartcturnbull, picture from The Mirror