West Ham United fans to be split as ‘failure’ tipped to succeed Julen Lopetegui
Dan Bardell believes West Ham United will wait as long as possible to sack Julen Lopetegui and could replace him with Graham Potter, which he does not believe will go down well with the fanbase.
The Spaniard secured his Hammers future for another week with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Wolves on Monday (9 December).
The Irons now have a trip to Bournemouth to look ahead to and a poor result could prove to be the final straw for the ex-Real Madrid boss in East London.
Sky Sports and talkSPORT journalist Bardell could see Potter coming in but has suggested that the London Stadium hierarchy will wait for a worst-case scenario before making a sack decision.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Bardell said: “I don’t think Lopetegui is the right man to lead them forward.
“Because of the way they hired him, West Ham are going to give him every chance they can and until they’re in real serious danger, I don’t see them making a change.
“Potter is available, he ticks a lot of boxes. If you look at the players they have, I think he’s a decent fit in terms of personnel.
“He’s got Chelsea links and people may label him as a flop. Are fans going to want a Chelsea failure? I’m not sure.
“There’s a lot up in the air but I think he suits West Ham and the players they have.“
Graham Potter could replace Julen Lopetegui at West Ham
The ex-Brighton boss has been linked with a move to the London Stadium and is said to be “on standby” to take charge if the Spaniard is sacked [talkSPORT].
Potter can only come in if the Hammers opt to bite the bullet and sack the manager who they only employed in the summer.
The Irons’ fans have already turned on Lopetegui as the style of football and results have been largely poor since he took charge.
There is no doubt that the Englishman would employ an interesting tactical approach, which would make him a useful option, regardless of his Chelsea ties.
In other West Ham news, one ace is surely sweating over his future as a January replacement has been eyed.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.