West Ham are reportedly close to reaching an agreement with Julen Lopetegui to become the club’s next manager after David Moyes.
The Hammers’ season has dropped off the more it has gone on, with their Europa League exit coming at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals.
In the Premier League, West Ham have flattered to deceive, picking up some great wins but also suffering some miserable defeats.
Their 2-0 away victory at Arsenal and subsequent 6-0 hammering by the Gunners at the London Stadium summs up the east Londoners’ unpredictability, and there is a feeling that a change of manager is now needed.
Moyes is yet to make a decision over his future, but it looks more likely that he will depart at the end of the season, deciding that he has taken his team as far as he can.
According to a new update from The Guardian‘s Jacob Steinberg, Lopetegui is close to becoming West Ham’s next boss:
“West Ham are close to agreeing a deal for Julen Lopetegui to take over as their new manager. The club are poised to part company with David Moyes at the end of the season and talks with Lopetegui are gathering pace.
“Negotiations have not been concluded and a final decision on Moyes, whose contract runs out this summer, will not be made until the Scot holds talks with the board once the campaign is over.”
The report adds that West Ham are “actively looking for a replacement” for Moyes at this point, which suggests that they think he will depart this season.
Lopetegui could be a briliant option for the Hammers ahead of next season, with the Spaniard possessing genuine pedigree as a manager.
The 57-year-old won the Europa League with Sevilla back in the 2019/20 season, showing that he knows a lot about managing a successful team in Europe, and he has been in charge of both Spain and Real Madrid in the past.
Granted, Lopetegui didn’t shine too much at Wolves, only averaging 1.3 points per game across 27 matches in charge, but the positives easily outweigh the negatives with him for West Ham.
