Julen Lopetegui’s position as West Ham manager will become untenable unless he satisfies the club’s owners after a new ultimatum.
West Ham were very fortunate to edge out Wolves and keep Julen Lopetegui in the job.
Hammers fans and the board were not impressed by the performance.
In fact after the 2-1 win, the owners agreed that West Ham have become a tough watch.
And they are demanding great improvement from Lopetegui having reportedly lined up Graham Potter to come in should he be sacked.
Many West Ham fans are angry Lopetegui survived after they called for change following the 3-1 defeat at Leicester.
The supporters see no sense in giving the Spaniard more time on the basis of a one-off win over a woeful Wolves side.
The Hammers are in a pattern of losing several games in worrying fashion and then giving the manager a one-off match to save his job which – often more by luck than judgement – the team manages.
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And it has been rinse, repeat.
West Ham go to high-flying Bournemouth on Monday night in what will be a real test.
The way the Cherries are playing under Andoni Iraola is what West Ham fans hoped and expected to see from their expensively assembled team when changing managers.
Iraola has reportedly caught the eye of West Ham majority owner David Sullivan with his work at the Vitality.
Julen Lopetegui, Manager of West Ham United, reacts during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Lo...
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Disharmony in the ranks at West Ham
Sullivan will have a front row seat to watch what many predict could be a chastening defeat for Lopetegui.
Especially if West Ham play anything like they have in the last three games.
The pressure is on again.
Lopetegui had been ordered to win four games in a row to save his job after begging Sullivan and co for one last chance following the Leicester defeat.
The Hammers actually played worse against Wolves but got the win.
Bournemouth will be a different proposition entirely.
Suffer a heavy defeat and Lopetegui could well be fired.
But ahead of the game there has been an intriguing development.
Angry West Ham owners have issued Lopetegui a shock ultimatum to save his job – and it’s not about results.
In the wake of the defeat to Leicester a number of gravely concerning stories were leaked from the club’s inner sanctum about incidents between the manager and players.
And not for the first time this season.
Under David Moyes, West Ham’s team spirit was largely excellent. Players rarely, if ever, broke ranks in his four-and-a-half years in east London.
There was only one public show of dissent towards the Scot, involving Said Benrahma. And it never happened again.
But under Lopetegui, it has been a regular occurrence.
Newcastle United FC v West Ham United FC - Premier League
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West Ham owners issue Lopetegui shock ultimatum to save job
The detailed leaks from the dressing room and training ground paint a sorry picture of a squad lacking in any harmony, spirit or respect for the manager.
Claims of unrest in the ranks have followed Lopetegui’s West Ham tenure like a bad smell.
The 58-year-old fell out with Mohammed Kudus at Brentford and their relationship has been frosty ever since.
As evidenced when Kudus showed a clear lack of respect for Lopetegui as he ranted at the manager when substituted against Wolves.
Most disturbing of all the stories to emerge was that Jarrod Bowen had to intervene when Jean-Clair Todibo allegedly swung for Lopetegui during a disagreement at half-time of the shambolic 5-2 defeat to Arsenal.
The former Spain manager has since admitted there was indeed an incident between him and Todibo. He insisted it was ‘nothing important’. But Todibo being made to train with the Under 21s and dropped from the team since suggests otherwise.
A high-level Hammers club source claims fans have been lied to about chaos behind the scenes at West Ham.
The Athletic’s West Ham reporter Roshane Thomas has also claimed “mind-blowing stuff” has been going on behind the scenes and has stated all will be revealed when Lopetegui departs, adding “the gloves will be off”.
A mutiny was building at the club last week before Michail Antonio’s car crash dampened that noise.
David Sullivan and Julen Lopetegui.
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Get stars back onside or be sacked, Lopetegui told
Any goodwill has already dissipated, though, with several key Hammers stars still demanding to leave if Lopetegui isn’t sacked.
Among them are nearly £60m of new signings in Todibo and Niclas Fullkrug as well as £85m Kudus.
Sullivan and co are far from happy about the disharmony in the squad.
And the board have made an ultimatum to the manager to fix the problem and get the stars back onside or pay for it with his job.
It’s even claimed the hierarchy are pressuring Lopetegui to put Todibo back in the starting XI at Bournemouth to help ease tensions.
That’s according to sources feeding information to Give Me Sport.
It is claimed Todibo has not seen eye-to-eye with Lopetegui since the very start. Their bust-up was a culmination of that and has left the French defender wanting out.
Lopetegui has apparently been making attempts to repair his relationship with Todibo and get him onside after West Ham’s owners ‘left him in no doubt that he needs to make sure the squad’s top performers are in good form and high spirits’.
The report goes on to state that the Hammers boss has been warned by influential figures behind the scenes that he cannot risk creating further friction with star players if he wants to remain in charge.
The sources claim Lopetegui will bow to the demands of the owners in an effort to build bridges with the ex Nice man at Bournemouth.
So it seems Lopetegui must provide clear evidence he can repair the damage done in the dressing room while also getting a positive result on the pitch against Bournemouth.
That’s a big ask given what has gone on.
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