West Ham have five options to replace Julen Lopetegui as boss admits he's 'concerned'
West Ham have plummeted into an early crisis just eight games into the season, with under-fire boss Julen Lopetegui already fighting a losing battle to save his job.
Already facing calls to be sacked, Lopetegui, 58, admitted he is "concerned" after watching his side collapse so easily. Fixtures against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest will be crucial in deciding whether West Ham decide to sack Lopetegui or stick with him.
Express Sport looks at five alternative candidates if they decide to wield the axe in the coming days or weeks.
Related articles Julen Lopetegui responds to West Ham criticism as Hammers plot Liverpool upset Top Man Utd ‘managerial target’ rated by Sir Jim Ratcliffe facing sack threatGraham Potter
const loadOvpScript=()=>{let el=document.createElement('script');el.setAttribute('src','https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=114291&vp_content=plembed3e7arguyxmsj&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v114291');document.getElementById('ovp-primis').appendChild(el)};window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v114291"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}});window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',()=>{setTimeout(()=>{if(typeof flagTcfLoaded!=='undefined'&&flagTcfLoaded===!0){loadOvpScript();ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP flagTcfLoaded',new Date())}else{document.addEventListener("tcfLoaded",()=>{loadOvpScript();ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP tcfLoaded',new Date())})}},1500)})As far as candidates go, Potter checks the boxes for a club of West Ham's size. He's had experience managing in the Champions League with Chelsea and taken Brighton from a relegation-threatened promotion outfit to Premier League mainstays.
He's also currently out of work and, based on his recent appearance on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, the 49-year-old is searching for a new challenge.
It would take some convincing to get Potter on board, but the players at his disposal - Max Kilman,Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta - would surely flourish in his preference for possession-based football.
Now that he's no longer on the radar of England after Thomas Tuchel's appointment, it feels like the right time for Potter to end his 19-month absence from the top flight and return to the dugout.
Graham Potter has managed Chelsea and Brighton in the Premier League (Image: Getty)Gareth Southgate
An outside contender for the job could see West Ham try to move for former England boss Southgate, who has impressed clubs with his nurturing approach to young players and a calm demeanour when dealing with pressure.
If it's fair to say Southgate now has the reputation of an elite coach from his eight-year spell with England, he might see himself aiming higher than squabbling for mid-table positions with West Ham.
Links with Manchester United will only get stronger as the pressure increases on Erik ten Hag, and the 54-year-old has already stated he doesn't want to take a job for at least a year.
Minds can be changed, of course. But that reluctance to get back into management could steer sporting director Tim Steidten towards other candidates.
Gareth Southgate wants to take a year out of management (Image: Getty) SUBSCRIBE Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Michael Carrick
A former West Ham midfielder and a highly-rated English coach, the only thing counting against Michael Carrick is a lack of top-flight managerial experience. But that didn't prevent Chelsea from hiring Enzo Maresca this summer and it shouldn't put West Ham off appointing Carrick should Lopetegui fail to see out the year.
The ex-England international impressed with Championship outfit Middlesbrough last season before losing in the play-offs and encourages an entertaining style of play, something the 60,000 inside the London Stadium have been crying out for.
Hammers fans are loyal to their past players, even if Carrick left for Tottenham in his playing career. It would carry some risk, particularly if results didn't improve immediately, but hiring the 43-year-old might just be worth the gamble.
Michael Carrick is a former player at West Ham, which may go down well with fans (Image: Getty)Kjetil Knutsen
There is no question that hiring an almost unknown would represent a huge risk, but hear us out.
Bodo/Glimt boss Knutsen has established himself as one of the top coaches outside of the mainstream European football sphere. The 56-year-old has spent his entire career managing in Norway, yet boasts a near 60 per cent win rate with nearly 300 games and seven years in charge of his club. Impressive.
Some of his biggest scalps include a 6-1 thrashing of AS Roma in the Europa League in 2022-23 when Jose Mourinho was boss. More recently, his 10-man side stunned FC Porto with a 3-2 win in this year's European curtain raiser.
It remains to be seen how the Knutsen would adapt to coaching at a higher level of domestic football. That said, with an impressive CV of managing in Europe and a popular choice amongst bookmakers, he retains an outside chance.
Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen is an underrated commodity in football (Image: Getty)David Moyes
Darren Ferguson is into his fourth separate stint as Peterborough United boss, Guy Roux took charge of Auxerre on three occasions. Might it be time for West Ham to call in their saviour for a third time?
Moyes has saved the Hammers from relegation twice in 2017-18 and 2019-20. The Scot also guided the east London side to their first European trophy in 2022-23 with the UEFA Conference League, as well as the Europa League semi-finals the following season.
Some West Ham supporters may not agree with Moyes' plain approach to football, which more often than not results in a tedious 90 minutes. But the only discernible difference between Lopetegui and Moyes so far is how much better the latter's results are.
Only Alan Curbishley boasts a better win rate than the 61-year-old (minimum 50 games), while Moyes is second behind Harry Redknapp on the list of all-time Premier League wins for the Claret and Blue. The only question that remains is whether he would even entertain a return after being dumped by the club twice already.
David Moyes has been out of a job since leaving West Ham (Image: Getty)West Ham have five options to replace Julen Lopetegui as boss admits he's 'concerned'
West Ham have five options to replace Julen Lopetegui as boss admits he's 'concerned'
West Ham have five options to replace Julen Lopetegui as boss admits he's 'concerned'
West Ham have five options to replace Julen Lopetegui as boss admits he's 'concerned'
West Ham have five options to replace Julen Lopetegui as boss admits he's 'concerned'
Play online games for free at games.easybranches.com
Guest Post Services www.easybranches.com/contribute