West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui is in serious danger of being sacked and the Hammers’ hierarchy are already considering replacement options.
West Ham suffered a 3-1 defeat to relegation-battlers Leicester City on Tuesday, leaving them 14th in the table – just six points outside the bottom three.
Sources have told TEAMtalk that the West Ham hierarchy expected Lopetegui to guide the them into the top six this season, given how much they invested in the squad this past summer.
According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, former Denmark manager Kasper Hjumland and ex-Benfica boss Roger Schmidt are being considered by West Ham.
Hjumland is said to be ‘ready for a new challenge’ and is currently without a club after resigning as Denmark boss in July. He led them to the semi-final of Euro 2020 and is well-respected in the game.
Schmidt, meanwhile, is ‘another candidate’ for West Ham. RB Leipzig are also interested in appointing the 57-year-old, so the Hammers could face competition for his signature.
However, Plettenberg’s report states that Schmidt is ‘unlikely to take on a new club at this time.’ Schmidt has won seven trophies in his managerial career and has often been linked with Premier League sides.
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West Ham board to hold crisis talks
As we exclusively revealed on Wednesday, West Ham’s board are set to meet this week to discuss Lopetegui’s future at the club, at which they’ll decide whether to sack him.
A recent report from The Mirror suggests that the meeting is set to be held on Friday in what has been dubbed ‘Lopetegui D-Day.’
Sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that several senior club chiefs have already made up their minds and believe a change of manager is necessary.
West Ham face Wolves in a crucial game on Monday night and as things stand, it seems unlikely that Lopetegui will still be in charge for that fixture.
In terms of potential replacements, TEAMtalk understands that West Ham are interested in Hjumland, although we’ve been unable to confirm the links with Schmidt.
Plettenberg also reports that former Porto manager Sergio Conceicao is not a ‘concrete’ target for the Hammers. However, TEAMtalk sources are adamant that he is firmly on their radar.
From our information, Conceicao, Hjumland, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter are the main candidates West Ham are currently looking at to replace Lopetegui.
A final decision on Lopetegui’s future is expected in the next 24 hours but the feeling among sources is that there is a very good chance he’ll be sacked ahead of West Ham’s game against Wolves.
West Ham round-up: Left-back wanted / Kelleher linked
Meanwhile, reports suggest that West Ham are weighing up a move for talented Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu. Tottenham, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are also in the race for the defender.
The 20-year-old is considered to be one of the most exciting young full-backs in Europe and Lecce value him highly, with a bid of £33m required for them to consider a sale.
West Ham are reportedly interested in signing a new goalkeeper to compete with under-fire shot-stopper Alphonse Areola and veteran Lukasz Fabianski.
Reports suggest that they are interested in Liverpool star Caoimhin Kelleher. The 26-year-old could leave Anfield at the end of the season, with Alisson Becker preferred by Arne Slot and Giorgi Mamardashvili set to join next summer.
In other news, Italian outlets have linked former Juventus manager Max Allegri with the West Ham job. However, he would be ‘very expensive’ and isn’t considered a concrete target, per our sources.
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