It’s clear that West Ham owner, David Sullivan, is going to have a big say in who comes in to take over from David Moyes, should the club decide that it’s time to part ways with the Scot.
A series of poor performances and games in which they’ve shipped five goals or more has left Moyes’ position hanging by a thread.
It’s believed that Sullivan owes a debt of gratitude to Moyes for bringing the club their first major silverware in 43 years after the Hammers won the Europa Conference League last season.
Sullivan wants Lopetegui at West Ham
However, the first-team haven’t really progressed since then, and some might say that they’ve even regressed.
Certainly, towards the back end of the current season, the standard of performances have been well below what’s expected, and results have been terrible too.
Rolling over and losing 5-2 against Crystal Palace is never going to be acceptable to the London Stadium faithful, who demand a certain way of playing and 100 percent commitment and effort at the very least.
With Moyes therefore likely to make way for a new manager, The Guardian (subscription required) note that Sullivan’s preference is to hire former Wolves manager, Julen Lopetegui.
It would be another uninspiring choice, though cheap given he’s out of work, and perhaps the Hammers penchant for value for money options in both their playing and managerial staff is what’s always held them back to this point.
If the Irons truly want to become one of London’s elite clubs, then they need to take a leap of faith.
The Guardian also mention that both Ruben Amorim and Paulo Fonseca remain potential alternatives to Lopetegui, and it remains to be seen which of the trio the club end up with, assuming they don’t widen their search over the final few weeks of the 2023/24 campaign.