That could appeal more to an English-based candidate such as Graham Potter than a foreign coach, who would have to agree to move temporarily to London.
West Ham were holding talks over the future of Lopetegui and potential succession plans at a board meeting yesterday, with the likelihood that he will still be in charge of the team for the crunch clash at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday.
One of the possibilities that is under consideration is to try to appoint a successor initially until the end of the season to give West Ham the chance to review the position again in the summer.
It is understood they acknowledge that would cut down the number of candidates interested in taking the job and it may be that West Ham decide to target a long-term successor immediately.
Along with Potter, Edin Terzic, Roger Schmidt, Sergio Conceicao and Massimiliano Allegri have all been considered as potential successors. There is also believed to be interest in Brentford’s Thomas Frank, but his contract is thought to include a buy-out clause that could cost West Ham as much as £9m (€11m).
Frank certainly would not leave Brentford to take a short-term deal at West Ham, while Terzic, Schmidt, Conceicao and Allegri may also be reluctant to, given none of them currently live or work in England.
Potter still lives in Brighton, which would make West Ham, even on a short-term deal, a relatively easy move for him. The 49-year-old will also be acutely aware of how little contracts mean in management, given he was appointed by Chelsea on a five-year deal and was sacked after less than seven months in charge.
Potter has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in April 2023, is ready to return to management. Meanwhile, Gary O’Neil’s future as Wolves manager is also in serious doubt ahead of that reunion with Lopetegui at West Ham, which has cruelly been described as ‘El Sackico’.
O’Neil’s position is hanging by a thread after the 4-0 hammering at Everton on Wednesday extended his run to an alarming three wins from the last 24 Premier League matches.
Wolves’s drubbing at Everton leaves the club 19th in the table and three points from safety, with the club now preparing to make a change.
Potter is also a contender for the Wolves job, however, with other options under review and, while O’Neil is set to take charge of Monday night’s game at West Ham, the situation is described as fluid with talks continuing between senior officials.