West Ham could turn to a familiar face should they decide to part ways with Julen Lopetegui, according to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg.
The Spaniard is under immense pressure just months after replacing David Moyes at London Stadium, having won just three of his first 10 games in all competitions.
While it is accepted that the five games he has lost have come against five of last season’s top-six in the Premier League, the manner of the defeats and perceived lack of identity and style of play has brought Lopetegui’s future in question already.
The recent 4-1 defeat at the hands of London rivals Tottenham understandably amplified doubts surrounding his ability to continue the success Moyes had brought to the club over the last four-and-a-half years, and now we’re beginning to see a number of names being touted as potential successors.
While there is no indication that the club are preparing to make a change, with the Guardian reporting this week that the former Real Madrid boss is not currently in danger of the sack despite the disappointing start, it would be wise for the club to have a number of potential back options to call upon should they feel the need to change things.
One of the biggest complaints from fans thus far has been the lack of evidence that Lopetegui can deliver a more attractive style of football, which was one of the key reasons some corners of the fanbase were calling for Moyes to leave the club last season.
For all the success Moyes brought to the club during his second spell, fans were often left frustrated by his preferred conservative approach and regularly complained about a lack of excitement or enjoyment in West Ham’s performances, even after winning.
After just 10 games, there has been little evidence to suggest Lopetegui is able to deliver a style of play that can combine a more possession based and attacking approach with positive results, despite investing almost £150m in nine new players over the summer transfer window.
A familiar face waiting in the wings
While 10 games is too early to make a definitive judgement on any manager’s ability to succeed, the reality is there are issues that Lopetegui needs to address quickly, or he will find himself without a job so soon after returning to management.
If those improvements don’t come within the next couple of months, or perhaps over the next couple of games, West Ham may decide to move quickly to ensure it doesn’t develop into a season-long relegation battle.
One name who they could turn to, according to Plettenberg, is former West Ham assistant manager Edin Terzic.
The Croatian was Slaven Bilic’s right-hand man at the club between 2015 and 2017, before going into management with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in 2020.
During an initial six month spell as interim manager between December 2020 and June 2021, the 41-year-old led Dortmund to DFB-Pokal victory, beating RP Leipzig 4-1 in the final, before being replaced by Marco Rose.
Terzic was the club’s Technical Director during Rose’s time as boss but was reappointed as the manager on a permanent basis in May 2022 after Rose left the club by mutual consent.
A two-year spell in the Borussia Dortmund dugout followed, where Terzic’s side lost out on the Bundesliga title on goal difference to Bayern Munich in the 2021/2022 season and then reached the Champions League final the following season, beating PSG in the semi-final before losing to Real Madrid in the final.
Following Champions League heartbreak at Wembley in June 2024, Terzic resigned.
Terzic fits West Ham’s profile
Having cut his teeth in management with one of the biggest clubs in Europe, there is no doubt Terzic has what it takes to be a success.
However, it’s more than just his experience that makes him a perfect match for West Ham.
Firstly, there is an ongoing demand for young, progressive, forward-thinking managers in football, which corners of the Hammers fanbase were looking for upon Moyes’ exit last summer.
The 41-year-old plays an attractive style of football and regularly deployed an attacking 4-3-3 formation during his two spells at Dortmund. It was a style that brought huge success to the Bundesliga club and came incredibly close to beating giants Bayern Munich to the title.
In 156 matches as manager, his Dortmund side won 103 games, lost just 29 and scored 265 goals. That’s a goal rate of 1.7 goals-per-game and a win percentage of 66%.
Given the attacking talent he would have at his disposal at West Ham, it’s easy to imagine just what he would be able to achieve in east London.
The likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus, Crysencio Summerville and Lucas Paqueta would no doubt thrive in a system that put their qualities at the forefront of the team’s style.
Terzic is also a manager who is able to get the best out of some of the best players in world football. His DFB-Pokal winning team included the likes of Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho.
But whether Terzic would be interested in taking the job or not is a different matter but given he already knows the club and, having enjoyed success in Germany, would no doubt be interested in testing himself in the Premier League, West Ham would appear to be an attractive proposition for any manager in Terzic’s situation.
Should Lopetegui fail to improve his side’s fortunes in the coming weeks or months, Terzic might just be the right manager to come in really deliver what the fans have been calling for.