Julen Lopetegui dismissed as West Ham United manager after 20 Premier League games, Graham Potter set to be appointed
Updated 08/01/2025 at 20:26 GMT
Julen Lopetegui is the fifth Premier League manager to lose his job so far this season, after the Spaniard was dismissed as West Ham United boss. The 58-year-old was only appointed in May on a two-year deal but lost nine of his first 20 Premier League fixtures in the role. Lopetegui leaves with the club 14th in the Premier League table, just seven points above the relegation zone.
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Julen Lopetegui has been dismissed as West Ham manager following the club’s loss to Manchester City on Saturday.
The Spaniard leaves after losing nine of his first 20 Premier League games in charge, with the club occupying 14th place in the table.
Graham Potter is expected to be appointed as his replacement, with West Ham scheduling a press conference for 09:00 on Thursday.
Lopetegui replaced David Moyes in May, signing a two-year deal with The Hammers and being tasked with improving on the ninth-placed finish his predecessor achieved in his final season.
The former Spain and Real Madrid boss guided Sevilla to UEFA Europa League glory in 2020, but failed to plug a leaky defence at West Ham, with his side conceding 39 goals this term, the fourth-worst defensive record in the Premier League.
The crushing defeat to an out-of-form Manchester City side at the Etihad Stadium appears to have been the final straw for the Hammers' hierarchy.
"West Ham United can confirm that head coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the club," read a club statement.
"The first half of the 2024/25 season has not aligned with the club’s ambitions and the club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives.
"The club can confirm that assistant head coach Pablo Sanz, head of performance Oscar Caro, head analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, fitness coach Borja De Alba and technical coach Edu Rubio have also left with immediate effect.
"The board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.
"The process of appointing a replacement is underway."
The 58-year-old Lopetegui is the fifth manager to lose his job in the Premier League this season after Erik ten Hag’s departure from Manchester United, Steve Cooper’s dismissal from Leicester City, Gary O'Neil's exit from Wolves and Russell Martin leaving Southampton.
West Ham have won two of their last eight games, with their victories coming against fellow strugglers Wolves and Southampton.
Since their victory over Manchester United in October, they have suffered heavy defeats to City, Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Leicester.
They also dropped two points at Bournemouth as Enes Unal scored a 90th-minute equaliser, and lost 5-0 to Liverpool.
Following the November international break, Lopetegui's side sealed an impressive 2-0 victory over Newcastle at St. James' Park but failed to take the momentum into their clash with Arsenal at the London Stadium.
They found themselves four goals down to Mikel Arteta's side after 36 minutes - a similar story to last season under Moyes in the same fixture - eventually falling to a 5-2 loss.
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A 3-1 defeat to a rejuvenated Leicester under new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy left Lopetegui's chances of staying at the helm hanging by a thread, before a win over Wolves - who saw their own manager O'Neil promptly sacked - staved off fears of an early dismissal for Lopetegui.
However, those heavy defeats to Liverpool and City either side of the turn of the year have now led to the Spaniard's departure.
West Ham travel to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday, January 10.
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