Julen Lopetegui sack terms agreed at West Ham United amid London Stadium exit rumours
West Ham United will already know the terms to sack Julen Lopetegui at the London Stadium, according to football finance expert Dan Plumley.
The Hammers boss has come under pressure early in his tenure in East London, with reports suggesting the Irons have already identified Edin Terzic as a potential replacement for the former Wolves manager [Patrick Berger, 22 October].
Although Lopetegui is expected to keep his job regardless of the result against Manchester United [Mail Sport, 24 October], Plumley admits compensation clauses will have been included in the head coach’s initial deal with the Irons.
“It depends on how the contract has been structured,” Plumley exclusively told West Ham Zone.
“What we’re seeing a lot of nowadays is that there are clauses in contracts up front and the compensation fee is agreed up front if the worst is to happen.
“If that’s been done on a negotiation where the settlement is done all in one hit, then that will be what happens.
“If it was done on the basis that if the manager were sacked, the compensation fee is ‘x’ and it is paid over an instalment basis – that’s probably also already been agreed.“
Will West Ham United sack Julen Lopetegui amid London Stadium exit rumours?
Plumley added: “A lot of these things nowadays are not snap or reactive decisions. They’re in the contract so that the club know exactly where they stand with a manager.
“If they want to sack a manager, they’ll know exactly how much it’s going to cost them and they’ll know at exactly what point that payment needs to be made.”
David Sullivan and the Hammers board have always been reluctant to sack managers unnecessarily during their time in charge of the Irons, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pull the trigger on Lopetegui if needed.
Succession plans are already being put in place and agreements will have been reached over potential compensation packages for Lopetegui.
Unless he turns this around quickly on the pitch, his time in charge in East London could well be brief.
In other West Ham news, one talkSPORT broadcaster has torn into Guido Rodriguez in a brand-new social media post
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