Julen Lopetegui not in imminent danger of being sacked by West Ham
Julen Lopetegui is not in imminent danger of the sack despite growing alarm at West Ham about their poor start to the season.
West Ham, who are languishing in 15th after losing 4-1 against Tottenham on Saturday, are not planning to make a managerial change yet and are keen to give Lopetegui time after appointing him as David Moyes’s successor last summer.
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The club’s board do not have a history of making knee-jerk decisions and there is a recognition that the Spaniard is attempting to implement a new style of play while he beds in 10 summer signings. Equally, there is deep concern about early results under Lopetegui, who is under pressure before the home game against Manchester United this Sunday, and his position could be reviewed if there is no improvement before Christmas.
The former Wolves manager needs results to pick up before the international break next month. West Ham visit Nottingham Forest and host Everton after facing United. They face being without Mohammed Kudus for those fixtures after his petulant red card against Spurs. Kudus left three Spurs players on the floor and there is the prospect of the Football Association banning him for more than three games. The Ghanaian was sent off for violent conduct after an initial clash with Micky van de Ven but he also shoved the defender and Pape Matar Sarr in the face and knocked over Richarlison.
Kudus’s meltdown came at the end of a second half in which West Ham were blown away by Spurs scoring three times in eight minutes. The winger has already clashed with Lopetegui this season, with the pair involved in an angry exchange after the player was substituted at half-time during last month’s draw with Brentford. Kudus scored in his next game, the 4-1 win against Ipswich earlier this month.
West Ham hope the performance against Ipswich was a clearer sign of the squad’s level. They have had a difficult start to the season, having already faced Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs. They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup after losing 5-1 at Liverpool.
Internal questions have been asked about recruitment after a summer spend of over £100m. Tim Steidten, the technical director, was influential in the signing of the Germany striker Niclas Füllkrug, who has not scored since joining from Borussia Dortmund for £27.5m. The 31-year-old has been out since August with a persistent achilles problem.
West Ham have also struggled without the ball, conceding 15 goals in eight games despite bolstering their defence with the signings of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo. They have also not addressed their lack of pace in central midfield and were overrun by Spurs.
