West Ham set date for Julen Lopetegui sack as club 'in talks' with replacement ahead of Aston Villa and Fulham
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West Ham are on the verge of sacking manager Julen Lopetegui after back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City in the Premier League left the London outfit in 14th place after 20 matches played this season.
The Hammers were not expected to get results against the league leaders and the Champions, but an aggregate score of 9-1 in those fixtures was an underperformance on already low expectations. Lopetegui has been under pressure at times in his first season in charge at the London Stadium and it is now thought that the club has had enough.
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Hide AdThe Times reports that Lopetegui will be in charge for the FA Cup meeting with Aston Villa on Friday night but that it is 'unlikely' the manager will be in charge for the Premier League meeting with Fulham on Tuesday, January 14. Reacting to the Manchester City defeat, Lopetegui tried to take positives from his side's performance.
Julen Lopetegui reaction to Man City defeat
He said: "It's true that we did a lot of good things. In my opinion, in the first half, we overcame a lot of things, but we didn't take advantage of our good things and positive things. In football, if you don't take advantage then normally, against this kind of team, you are going to be closer to suffering a goal [being scored against you].
"But the first goal was very, very unlucky. It was not about one moment when they dominated us or they had clear chances. It was one moment when it was one rebound [off Coufal’s boot into the net] and it was very unlucky for us.


"It was one key moment, above all, and it came after we had a very clear situation to score, which we didn't do. And when this happens, normally you are going to lose the match.
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Hide Ad"There was another key moment when Crysencio Summerville regained the ball in a very clear press and the referee whistled for a foul, but it was not at foul. It was very clear and had a very good press. It was a very clear chance for us, a one-on-one with the ‘keeper.
"So, when all the key moments work against you, against this kind of opponent, normally you are going to lose, but that's why it's not easy for me to explain the match."
Lopetegui took the West Ham hot seat following the departure of David Moyes from the club this summer. The Spaniard has previously been in charge of Sevilla, Real Madrid and the Spanish national side.
West Ham ‘in talks’ with Graham Potter
The 58-year-old was backed with budget during the summer window with over £130 million being spent by the club. Niklas Fullkrug, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville, Max Kilman and Luis Guilherme all came in for significant fees.
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Hide AdHowever, the results have not come with the spending. The Hammers have won just three league fixtures since the start of November and have conceded three goals or more on eight occasions this term.


The Guardian today reported that Lopetegui had asked West Ham technical director Tim Steidten to stay away from the training ground after a breakdown in relationship between the two. That report added that those claims have been denied by the club, who had attributed Steidten's absence to him focusing on the January transfer window.
Lopetegui is now the frontrunner to be the next Premier League manager dismissed from his position with his dismissal now more likely than that of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur bosses Sean Duche and Ange Postecoglou. talkSPORT claim that ex Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter is already 'in talks' with West Ham to replace Lopetegui.
Speaking to The Telegraph in September, Potter had teased that he was ready for a return to the dugout. He said: “I’ve felt ready to return for a little while. It still has to be the right thing, but I’m excited for it. I’m excited to hear what the opportunities are and I’ll take each one and judge it on its merits."
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