West Ham Parts Ways with Coach Lopetegui, Engaging Potter for Potential Replacement
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London, Jan 8 (NationPress) The English football club West Ham United announced on Wednesday the dismissal of their Spanish head coach Julen Lopetegui after suffering significant defeats in the Premier League against Manchester City and Liverpool FC, where they conceded a total of nine goals while managing to score just one. The club stated, "West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the Club," in a message shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
On the same day, West Ham opted to cancel a pre-scheduled press conference with Lopetegui, raising further doubts about his future with the team. The 58-year-old was set to address the media prior to their upcoming FA Cup third-round match against Aston Villa this Friday.
With Lopetegui out, the Hammers are reportedly in discussions with former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter about potentially stepping in, at least on a temporary basis.
The club currently finds itself in 14th position on the Premier League table, having achieved six victories, five draws, and nine losses in their 20 matches.
Commenting on the situation, former coach Harry Redknapp criticized the club's handling of Lopetegui, labeling it as disrespectful. "It's disrespectful [from West Ham] no doubt about that. If you want to get rid of him, you call him and say 'I'm sorry it's not worked out'...obviously talks have been going on with Graham Potter. He seems to be the number one target," he remarked.
"But it's not an easy place to manage West Ham. The expectation there is very high. So whoever goes there, not only do they have to produce a winning team, they've got to produce a team that plays what West Ham fans see as 'the West Ham way'," Redknapp added during an interview with BBC Sport.
Furthermore, reports indicate that West Ham has reached out to former AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca and former Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier, who is currently coaching in the Saudi Pro League.
Julen Lopetegui was appointed as the club's head coach in May. His past managerial experiences include roles at Spain, Porto, Real Madrid, Sevilla, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. He notably led Sevilla to victory in the UEFA Europa League and achieved success with Spain’s U21s and U19s in the UEFA European Championship.
