West Ham United sack coach Julen Lopetegui, Graham Potter in talks for role

West Ham United have announced that they have sacked head coach Julen Lopetegui after a poor first half to the season. Former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter is in talks to be the replacement for Lopetegui.

In Short

• Lopetegui managed West Ham for just 22 games
• Potter could be in charge of West Ham by Friday, January 10
• Lopetegui's dismissal makes him the fifth Premier League manager to be sacked this season

West Ham United have parted ways with head coach Julen Lopetegui, the club confirmed on Wednesday. The decision comes with the team languishing in 14th place in the Premier League standings after 20 matches. Reports from British media suggest that Graham Potter, the former Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion manager, is in advanced talks to succeed Lopetegui. Potter is expected to take charge in time for West Ham's FA Cup third-round clash against Aston Villa on Friday.

Lopetegui, 58, was appointed in May on a two-year contract, tasked with introducing a more expansive style of play after years of defensive pragmatism under David Moyes. However, the Spaniard struggled to deliver consistent results, managing just 22 matches during his tenure. His final game in charge was a humbling 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.

"West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the Club. 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 Club can confirm that 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 have also left with immediate effect."

"The Board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future. The process of appointing a replacement is underway. The Club will be making no further comment at this time," read the statement from West Ham United.

West Ham endured a challenging season under Lopetegui, including a 5-1 League Cup exit at the hands of Liverpool in September and consecutive heavy league losses to Liverpool and City, conceding nine goals in the process. The Hammers currently find themselves 14th on the points table.

Despite significant backing in the transfer market, with over 140 million euros spent on players like Maximilian Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville, and Niclas F¼llkrug, the team failed to improve.

Lopetegui's dismissal makes him the fifth Premier League manager to be sacked this season. His entire backroom staff has also departed with immediate effect. Before his stint at West Ham, Lopetegui achieved considerable success at Sevilla, where he spent three years and guided the team to the Europa League title in the 2019-20 season.