Julen Lopetegui sacked by West Ham with Graham Potter lined up as replacement
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The Hammers are fearing a potential relegation battle after damaging defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City. West Ham have sacked manager Julen Lopetegui after the heavy defeat to Manchester City left the club fearing a relegation battle. The 4-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium followed a dreadful performance against Liverpool at the London Stadium, prompting a hostile atmosphere with loud boos heard at half and full time.
![[Graham Potter appears the favourite to replace Julen Lopetegui]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/16/14/9ba0d6d2114867306df98febc0f4bd98Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM0NDQyNDMy-2.76880110.jpg)
A club statement read: “The first half of the 2024/25 season has not aligned with the Club’s ambitions and the Club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives.”. The Hammers, who also confirmed Lopetegui’s staff have departed the club, including Assistant Head Coach Pablo Sanz, Head of Performance Oscar Caro, Head Analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, Fitness Coach Borja De Alba and Technical Coach Edu Rubio.
The Hammers have been stuck in the bottom half all season and while they are clear of the relegation zone with other clubs struggling, there have been few hopeful signs under Lopetegui. The 58-year-old spoke of his “ambition” for West Ham after replacing David Moyes but a series of heavy defeats - including a 5-2 hammering at home to Arsenal - signalled a difficult start, despite spending more than £100m on new players in the transfer market.
And West Ham have now decided to part ways with the former Real Madrid and Spain boss, with former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter seemingly lined up as his replacement. The significant outlay in the transfer market included a number of players familiar with Lopetegui as he sought to sculpt the squad to his wishes.
