Next West Ham manager: Hammers 'line-up' five-time league winner as Julen Lopetegui replacement

West Ham are reportedly lining up a replacement for under-pressure manager Julen Lopetegui. The Hammers sit in 14th in the Premier League and have suffered consecutive defeats to Arsenal, where they lost 5-2, and to relegation candidates Leicester City - a game they lost 3-1 on Tuesday. It was the Foxes first game under new manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy and the former Manchester United interim couldn’t have had a better start.

However, it leaves Lopetegui facing an uncertain future as West Ham fans were heard to be singing ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ at their own manager after the final whistle at the King Power Stadium. A recent report by Italian outlet CalcioMercato suggests that the Hammers hold an interest in former Juventus manager Massimilano Allegri who is currently without a job after he had spent 10 years at the Old Lady winning five Serie A league titles and five Italian Cups.

Allegri terminated his contract with Juventus in June as he wanted another challenge, but is yet to find his next job meaning that West Ham could swoop in and bag one of the most experienced and successful managers that are currently available and without a job.

The Hammers had high expectations before the start of the season after making several impressive signings such as Max Kilman, Niclas Fullkrug and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, however Lopetegui has not been able to get the most out of his squad after 13 Premier League matches.

West Ham’s other potential candidates

The report by CalcioMercato also names several other managerial candidates for the job at the London Stadium should the West Ham ownership decide to part ways with Lopetegui. One name that remains Sergio Conceicao who most recently managed Porto.

AC Milan had considered him in the summer transfer window, but the Italian side decided to appoint Lille manager Paulo Fonseca instead. Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter is also in consideration as he has been without a job since getting sacked at Stamford Bridge in 2023. The report also lists former PSG manager Christophe Galtier who is currently managing in Qatar and ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic.

Speaking after the loss to Leicester, forward Jarrod Bowen said that there is pressure on the players as well as the manager. He said: “There’s pressure on the players as well. We’re the ones who have to go out there and perform, and we haven’t done that to the level that we know we’re capable of. We need to turn it around as we’re all in it together as a group. It’s down to us to go out there and perform and do better than what we’re doing.

“I think you’ve got to be clinical when you’re in this league or you get punished. I think the goals we conceded were really soft, and if you don’t keep the ball out of your net at one end, and if you don’t take your chances at the other end, it makes it more difficult. We had a lot of chances we didn’t put away, and I think the first goal is avoidable. We knew it was going to be a fast start for them under a new manager and that they would create a lot of energy. I think that was the most disappointing thing for us, that we conceded so early. We had lots of chances, but it’s down to us not putting them away, so that’s the most disappointing thing on the night.”