Julen Lopetegui seems to be on the brink of losing his job at West Ham, having only won once in their last five games, including their most recent 3-1 loss to Leicester City.
Whilst the Hammers have improved in certain metrics this season, holding more of the ball (46.4% possession), taking more shots (14.7 per match), and conceding fewer shots (15.8 per game), the results have not followed, as they sit 14th in the Premier League.
julen-lopetegui-west-ham-man-united-premier-league
This has led to the owners drawing up a shortlist of potential managers who could take over if they do pull the trigger and sack Lopetegui, and two favourites seem to have emerged.
West Ham's managerial shortlist
Three main names have emerged on the West Ham shortlist according to journalist Ben Jacobs, with Graham Potter, Sergio Conceicao and Edin Terzić.
Terzic, who made his way to the Champions League final with Dortmund last season, losing 2-0 at the final hurdle against Real Madrid, is said to be on the list, but the other two names seem to be gathering more traction in the media.
Bilic Terzic
Potter, whose last job was with Chelsea in the 2022/23 season, has taken his time off to assess, and wait for the right opportunity to get back into management. In his time at Chelsea, they held the fifth most possession in the division (58.8%), took the eighth most shots per game (12.7), and conceded the seventh fewest shots per match (11.5).
There are many coaching qualities to like about Potter. He is an adaptable manager who will change things in order to give his side the tactical edge, and he has proven himself in the league already, mainly in his time at Brighton.
However, one thing to consider would be his time out of management, and how he struggled with the pressure at Chelsea, and this West Ham job wouldn't be an easy one to come into with the state it is currently in.
Graham Potter managerial record
Conceicao, on the other hand, was in a job at Porto from 2017-2024, only leaving the Portuguese giants this summer, after delivering the Portuguese Cup for a third time. In his final season at the club (2023/24), Porto averaged the highest amount of possession in the division (63.6%), averaged the second most shots per game (16.8), and conceded the second-fewest shots per match (8.3).
All of these metrics show how Conceicao would be a brilliant appointment, with an ability to deploy a good defensive strategy, keeping opposition shot totals low (something the Hammers have really struggled to do this season). However, the Portuguese coach has never managed in England, and the risk would be implementing his style at speed in another country, in order to turn things around quickly at the club.
Football manager Sergio Conceicao
That leads us to possibly the best option for the Hammers, someone not even on this list, and instead an ex-player, who is now showing his class in management, generating the highest xG in the Championship so far this season, with 33.1 in 18 games played.
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West Ham's best option to replace Lopetegui
Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough side have been rampant in the Championship this season, currently sitting fifth in the league on 30 points, just eight points off 1st placed Sheffield United. Carrick's side have scored the second most goals in the Championship, with 32, and are averaging the second most shots per game, with 16.1.
The 43-year-old coach played for West Ham, Tottenham and, of course, Manchester United in his playing days, before starting his coaching journey as the Manchester United assistant manager back in 2018, keeping that role until 2021. He then took over as caretaker manager for three games, winning two of the three, before Erik ten Hag took the reins, leaving Carrick out of a job.
Michael-Carrick-west-ham-links
But in 2022, Middlesbrough hired the ex-midfielder, and since then, he has taken charge of 107 matches, averaging a points per match of 1.67, and brandishing a lovely style of play that mirrors that of the elites. This is the type of football West Ham want to play, and Carrick could be the perfect appointment to bring that to the club, whilst also connecting with the fans.
Carrick sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 from the start, often adopting that familiar 3-2-5 shape in possession, and adjusting how he forms that shape on the ball, depending on which players he has on the pitch. The most common rotation includes the left-back providing width, with the left-winger drifting inside, to become that second number ten behind the striker.
And it's the formation of this exciting attacking triangle (left-winger, number ten, striker) that has seen Carrick's Middlesbrough side blow teams away this season, so who could fit the bill in these roles for him at West Ham?
The West Ham players who would thrive under Carrick
West Ham's two key men last season, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, would both thrive in this system, allowing them to get into these central pockets of space closer to goal, and create chances for themselves and one another.
Instead of seeing the left-back overlap to provide width, West Ham could deploy the right-back in this fashion, allowing Bowen to drift infield from the right wing, whilst Kudus could then start at number 10. This would form a triangle of Bowen, Kudus and a striker, which could improve the Hammers' ability to score goals, getting their best players into dangerous areas.
Bowen vs Kudus comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)
Goals
Assists
xG
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Shots Total
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Carries into Pen Area
Touches in Pen Area
Stats taken from FBref
By getting these higher shot-volume players into these central areas, and allowing them to be the difference makers, it would undoubtedly see an increase in attacking output for the Hammers. Something Carrick has done well with Middlesbrough is platform his best players, in order to get the best from them, which has an overall positive effect on the team.
Kudus-Bowen-Antonio-Paqueta-West-Ham
Not only would Carrick be a young and exciting manager for the fans to get behind, but he is also well-known in England, has managed in the country before, and plays a style which is guaranteed to translate to the Premier League, which could be exactly what the Irons need to get back on track.
Julen-Lopetegui-Carrick-West-Ham Related
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