Things keep going from bad to worse for West Ham, as they lost yet again in the Premier League, losing 3-1 to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Despite having more of the ball (61% possession), more shots (31 shots), and higher xG generated in the game (3.10) it was the Foxes who swiped all three points.
West Ham now have just one win in their last five games, conceding 11 goals in those five games, and only scoring five. They are just six points off the drop now, sitting in 14th place, as they prepare to face Wolves next at The London Stadium.
Wolves sit 19th in the Premier League with just nine points, and a loss for Julen Lopetegui could spell the end of his West Ham reign, with the Hammers already compiling a shortlist of possible replacements, should they decide to act upon it.
West Ham considering 4-3-3 manager
According to reports from Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg, former Denmark manager, Kasper Hjulmand, is one of the candidates West Ham are considering should they decide to sack Lopetegui. The 52-year-old is currently out of a job, and is reportedly "ready for a new challenge".
Hjulmand is a coach who has often preferred a 4-3-3, but he has shown with Denmark his adaptability with formations and ways of setting up his side, deploying plenty of three at the back shapes (3-4-2-1, 3-5-2), and has also deployed a 4-2-3-1.
In his 54 matches in charge of Denmark between 2020-2024, Hjulmand managed a points-per-match average of 1.93, the highest of his career so far. Other clubs he has managed before include Nordsjaelland (on several separate occasions) and FSV Mainz.
kasper-hjulmand-dennmark
In fact, Hjulmand is even familiar with one of West Ham's star players from his time at Nordsjaelland, managing Mohamed Kudus back in 2019, who made 57 appearances for the Danish club, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists, before earning his move to Ajax.
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Mohammed Kudus under Hjulmand
This appointment could be perfect for Kudus in order to rediscover his best form which he arrived from Ajax with last season at West Ham. In his debut Premier League year, the attacker made 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists.
So far this season, the 24-year-old has only scored twice and assisted once in his 11 appearances, struggling to have the same impact on this West Ham side, starting many games from the left-wing, rather than his preferred right side.
Mohammed Kudus 23/24 vs 24/25 comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)
Goals
Assists
xG
xAG
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Shots Total
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Successful Take-Ons
Stats taken from FBref
When comparing Kudus's metrics from last 2023/24 to 2024/25, it actually turns out many of his numbers have improved, but instead of seeing an increase in his output, it has actually resulted in a decrease.
Much of this could be put down to his position under Lopetegui, having to play on the left, and therefore not arriving in his best zones of action, where he thrived last campaign, cutting inside on his left foot to unleash that deadly shot of his. Instead, this time around, the Ghanaian often finds himself either arriving at the back post on his weaker foot or taking unfavourable angles on his stronger left.
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Hjulmand being appointed, and knowing the sheer quality of Kudus, therefore, could be a perfect combination to get the best out of him, returning him to his favoured right, and unlocking that ability to cut inside on a more frequent basis.
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