West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui is reportedly on the brink of being sacked from his role.
TBR Football understands that West Ham chairman David Sullivan may soon feel he has no choice but to dismiss Lopetegui if the threat of relegation continues to grow.
Although Sullivan would rather not fire Lopetegui, West Ham are now languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table and discontent is growing among fans.
The Hammers are now said to be looking at potential replacements, with former Porto head coach Sergio Conceicao keen on taking the West Ham reins.
Florian Plettenberg has now reported that the Hammers are eyeing a coach who Thomas Frank said has what it takes to become “one of the top managers in Europe”.
Kasper Hjulmand, Head Coach of Denmark, applauds the fans after the team's defeat and elimination from EURO 2024 in the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 ...
Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
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West Ham eyeing former Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand
The manager in question is Kasper Hjulmand, whose last role saw him manage the Denmark men’s national team.
Plettenberg, writing on X, reported that the 52-year-old is one of the candidates West Ham are considering if Lopetegui is sacked.
Hjulmand, who is currently a free agent, is “ready for a new challenge”, added the Sky Sport Germany journalist.
TBR Football understands that Tim Steidten is a fan of Hjulmand, along with former Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol has claimed that West Ham are 60 percent likely to sack Lopetegui by Friday.
Who is West Ham manager target Kasper Hjulmand?
Hjulmand began his coaching journey in 1998 when he took the reins of Lyngby’s youth team and rose to become the Danish club’s head coach by 2006.
He has also had two spells at Nordsjaelland, either side of a stint with Mainz 05, before taking the reins of the Denmark men’s national team
Hjulmand managed his nation at Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup, and Euro 2024.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank sung the praises of the reported West Ham target back in 2021, when he managed Denmark at Euro 2020.
“Kasper has always been interested in learning new things and developing new ideas,” Frank wrote in The Telegraph.
“When he coached Nordsjaelland in the Danish Superliga, he was one of the first managers to create a team that dominated the ball and pressed high up the pitch.
“As a coach, he is willing to change his team’s system within the match. How many managers in the Premier League are willing to do the same? There are not many.
“It is not always the completely right thing to do, of course, but it is about being brave and being one step ahead. It is innovative, and that is the way Kasper has always been.
“I believe there are three areas in which a coach needs to score highly: man-management, leadership and the technical side of the game.
“If you want to be one of the top managers in Europe, you need to score high in each of these areas. Kasper does, and his emotional intelligence is also extremely high.”
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