West Ham United are ‘seriously considering’ replacing Julen Lopetegui with former FC Porto manager Sergio Conceicao, according to reports.
West Ham were battered 5-2 at home to Arsenal on Saturday after an impressive 2-0 victory at Newcastle United five days earlier.
The Magpies victory could have been a turning point for under-fire head coach Lopetegui – who leads the Premier League sack race – but there are again serious doubts over his future after such a heavy defeat.
The Spaniard replaced Europa Conference League-winning manager David Moyes in the summer after the club did not extend the Scot’s contract.
West Ham were below par in the second half of last season and justified in their decision not to keep Moyes but have failed to improve after appointing Lopetegui and spending around £120million on nine new players in the summer transfer window.
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Many of the Hammers’ new faces have struggled to settle at the London Stadium, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka the only one who has been an early success.
The club’s hierarchy put a lot of faith in former Wolves boss Lopetegui with their summer business but could sack him before Christmas.
Tuesday’s trip to Leicester City should be pivotal, with a failure to win at the King Power likely to be the end for Lopetegui.
West Ham identify ex-Porto boss as potential Lopetegui replacement
According to The Guardian, Lopetegui ‘could be in serious trouble if West Ham lose to Leicester’ and the Irons are ‘considering’ appointing former FC Porto boss Sergio Conceicao as his replacement – another defensive-minded coach.
Conceicao is available having left Porto in the summer. He managed the Portuguese giants for seven years.
The report claims that beating Newcastle ‘bought Lopetegui time’, though there is ‘serious interest’ in appointing the 50-year-old.
The Portuguese manager is ‘thought to be attracted to the job’ but the Hammers ‘are yet to establish contact’ despite there being ‘support for him within the club’.
There are ‘other contenders’ in the mix. It is claimed that ex-Juventus boss Max Allegri is being considered, Graham Potter ‘could come into contention’ and ex-Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier, currently at Al-Duhail in Qatar, ‘has been considered in the past’.
Meanwhile, West Ham ‘are yet to advance interest in Edin Terzic’, who left Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season, and ‘have made checks on Kasper Hjulmand, Roger Schmidt and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness’.
It is noted that the Hammers are reluctant to sack Lopetegui so early into his tenure but ‘there is growing alarm over the team’s form’ and his signings have been questioned, though there has been ‘questions have been asked about technical director Tim Steidten’.
Losing at Leicester could put Lopetegui in ‘serious’ bother but the Spaniard will have Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus available again.
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