West Ham are working on two fronts this January: strengthening the playing squad and finding a more suitable manager to improve the club’s fortunes.
Julen Lopetegui has struggled to make an impact after replacing David Moyes in the summer, overseeing a string of poor performances and results, which have left the club 13th in the Premier League.
Such form has led to widespread calls for the Spaniard to be sacked sooner rather than later but, while some reports over the last couple of months have hinted that he could be on his way out of east London, he remains in charge as West Ham prepare to visit champions Manchester City on Saturday.
Many West Ham fans would prefer the club to make the change as soon as possible, especially early in the January transfer window. This would allow a new manager to come in and buy any players he needs without being forced to work with someone else’s group of players until the summer.
However, it appears the club are still patiently waiting to see whether the former Real Madrid chief can turn things around, perhaps even preparing to give him more money to spend this January to help him make it happen.
According to Football Insider, though, West Ham are working hard behind the scenes to find the best possible replacement for Lopetegui.
That’s the view of former Everton CEO Keith Wyness, who told Football Insider’s Inside Track Podcast this week what he’s heard from inside the Hammers’ camp.
He said: “West Ham aren’t really in danger of falling to the relegation group.
“There is time and the luxury for the board to make the right decision. They’ve obviously abandoned hope of climbing into the European spots this season.
“They’re in no real rush to make this decision because they got this appointment wrong.
“I don’t think I can see any sign of Lopetegui turning it around.
“I’m hearing a lot of distress in the squad, and the fans aren’t having him.
“I don’t think it’ll be a case of ‘win the next one or you’re sacked,’ but the board will be hard at work to find the right man.”
We’ve heard of a potential issue between the players and Lopetegui before, particularly involving Jean-Clair Todibo, so Wyness’ comments regarding potential distress in the squad won’t come as much of a surprise to many.
But it is a surprise that the club still hasn’t identified a worthwhile replacement. It has been common knowledge for much of the season so far that there was a high probability that Lopetegui would turn out to be the wrong man for the job, so this ‘hard work’ behind the scenes should have been going on for months.
It was reported a couple of months ago that the club had identified a handful of potential managerial targets, with Graham Potter said to be keen on the job should it be offered to him.
But the fact nothing has transpired up to this point and Lopetegui remains in his position suggests there’s still some doubt over what the right appointment is behind the scenes.
