Julen Crossification LIVE: West Ham hold talks with “fantastic” Lopetegui replacement ahead of Wolves fixtures after Sullivan learnt the home fans aggressive wish” aim EPL table heartbreaking position” see details…
Before their match against Wolves, West Ham reportedly had discussions with a possible successor to under-pressure manager Julen Lopetegui.
O’Neil and Lopetegui are in a win-or-lose match.
The Premier League match between West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers has been called “El Sackico” and is scheduled on Monday night. Both Gary O’Neil and Julen Lopetegui are under increasing pressure to improve their respective teams.
The Hammers are yet to see the results of their lavish summer transfer window spending. They were crushed 5-2 by Arsenal a week ago and then lost 3-1 to newly promoted Leicester City in the middle of the week.
They are now stuck in 14th place, two points above 17th-place Crystal Palace, and a whopping nine points outside the European qualification spots, which were probably the campaign’s objective, after only one victory in their past five Premier League games.
| Julen Lopetegui at West Ham | |
|---|---|
| Games | 14 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Win % | 29% |
| Goals scored per game | 1.3 |
| Goals conceded per game | 1.93 |
| Points per game | 1.07 |
Worse, their football has been uninspiring under Lopetegui, with their 18 goals scored only more than Everton, Ipswich Town, Southampton and Crystal Palace.
West Ham’s supporters chanted “you’ll be sacked in the morning” during their most recent loss, and it has been widely believed that Lopetegui would have reached the end of his tenure at the London Stadium if West Ham had lost to Wolves. The club is prepared to replace the manager in an attempt to salvage their season. West Ham is reportedly already in discussions about a possible successor.
West Ham hold meeting with serial winner
That comes as Football Insider report that West Ham have “held a meeting with Massimiliano Allegri about the possibility of taking over as manager from Lopetegui” should the Spaniard be fired.
Although Allegri hasn’t had a job since leaving Juventus, his stellar resume includes five Italian cups and six Serie A crowns. Legendary Premier League manager Sir Alex Ferguson called the 58-year-old a “fantastic” coach, however there are concerns about his style of play.
Allegri “is thought to be keen to manage in the Premier League,” according to Football Insider. Even though the Italian is “at the top of their shortlist” to replace Lopetegui, they add that a deal is unlikely to happen since “the finances involved in a deal to bring him to the London Stadium are thought to be prohibitive” for the Hammers.
Several possible new managers have been linked to the Hammers, and Michael Carrick is the most recent to be mentioned as a possible addition to the London Stadium’s coaching staff. It appears that Lopetegui will depart the Hammers when, not if, unless there is a significant change. It is not surprising that they are searching for possible alternatives in light of this.
Despite his CV and pedigree though, it seems Allegri will not be taking the reins.
