West Ham in ‘shocking standard of disrespect’ as announcement made
West Ham United have completed the inevitable, announcing the sacking of Julen Lopetegui as head coach at the London Stadium.
The 58-year-old Spaniard leaves the club after just 22 games in charge, with the Hammers making the right decision (West Ham United FC, 8 January) ultimately following the level of spending throughout the summer. However, how they strung along their now former boss is a shocking standard of disrespect.
It appears almost certain right now that Graham Potter will be formally announced by the Irons as his successor and may take charge of the FA Cup third round tie at Aston Villa on Friday night (10 January).
What must be said is the coverage of Lopetegui’s doomed future in East London is not the fault of the club, whose results have come under increased scrutiny with the coach unable to work out his best team, or get a tune out of several expensive summer arrivals.
But the way the top brass were happy to let him take Wednesday’s training session before being told to pack his bags is outrageous – a new low for a board already on the end of a barrage of supporter discontent.
Julen Lopetegui will be eager to prove West Ham wrong
Lopetegui is an experienced manager. He has taken charge of some elite teams, earned high levels of respect throughout the game, and still showed the class to agree to West Ham’s ridiculous demand on his final day in charge.
It may even have been the case he chose to take training, knowing his fate come lunchtime, which is even more the measure of a man but is a horrendous optic for fans on the outside.
Although many of the squad may be relieved to see the back of him as a head coach, that is unlikely to remain the case when football is removed from the equation. As excited as the Hammers players will be for a fresh start and new hope, they will be bidding a respectful farewell to their short-term head coach.
Deep down, Lopetegui is a competitor and will be seeking a new challenge in good time which can yield a far more optimistic outcome. A man with Real Madrid and the Spanish national team glittering his CV won’t ever be short of offers.
If and when he succeeds in a future role, Lopetegui may just pause to wonder if David Sullivan, Tim Steidten and co. are watching on.
In other West Ham news, Potter’s imminent arrival could lead to a Chelsea player through the door.
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