West Ham have held talks with a potential replacement for under-pressure boss Julen Lopetegui ahead of their clash with Wolves, it has been reported.
Lopetegui and O’Neil in win or bust clash
West Ham face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night in a Premier League clash that has been dubbed “El Sackico”, with both Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil under mounting pressure to turn things around at their respective clubs.
The Hammers spent freely over the summer transfer window, but are yet to see that pay off in the early stages of the campaign, and were thrashed 5-2 by Arsenal a week ago before meekly losing 3-1 to newly promoted Leicester City in midweek.
Just one win in their last five Premier League games has left them marooned in 14th place, just two points above 17th placed Crystal Palace and a massive nine points outside the European qualification spots, which were likely the goal for the campaign.
|
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.
It has been widely claimed that were West Ham to lose against Wolves, Lopetegui would have reached the end of his time at the London Stadium, with the club ready to make a change in the dugout in a bid to save their season and West Ham’s own fans singing “you’ll be sacked in the morning” during their last defeat. Now, it has emerged that West Ham are already holding talks over a potential replacement.
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.
Allegri has been out of work since leaving Juventus, but boasts an impressive CV with six Serie A titles to his name along with five Italian cups. There are question marks over his style of play, but legendary Premier League boss Sir Alex Ferguson dubbed the 58 year old a “fantastic” coach.
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Now, Football Insider report that Allegri “is thought to be keen to manage in the Premier League”. However, they add that a deal is unlikely to materialise because “the finances involved in a deal to bring him to the London Stadium are thought to be prohibitive” for the Hammers, despite the Italian being “at the top of their shortlist” to replace Lopetegui.
The Hammers have been linked with several potential new managers, with Michael Carrick the latest to have been touted as a potential new face at the London Stadium. Barring a drastic turnaround, it seems a case of when, not if, Lopetegui leaves the Hammers. With that in mind, it is no surprise to see them sounding out potential replacements.
Despite his CV and pedigree though, it seems Allegri will not be taking the reins.
