Darren Bent believed West Ham United would qualify for Europe [Credit: talkSPORT]
Darren Bent believed West Ham United would qualify for Europe [Credit: talkSPORT]
Match

Darren Bent shares West Ham United relegation prediction ahead of Leicester City

Harri Burton
Harri Burton

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

Published on: 

Darren Bent does not believe West Ham will face relegation from the Premier League despite their poor start to the campaign.

Julen Lopetegui is under considerable pressure at the London Stadium, with his side sitting in 14th after 13 games ahead of a trip to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City on Tuesday 3 December.

All three points would take the Hammers nine points clear of Wolves and Ipswich Town in the relegation zone, and the talkSPORT pundit believes that fans have nothing to worry about.

Speaking live via talkSPORT on Tuesday (3 December, 6:09pm), Bent believes the Hammers will avoid relegation to the Championship despite a poor start.

"Do you know why I don't? They got absolutely walloped at the weekend, and that can happen. We've seen them get results. I thought they had no chance against Newcastle United," he said.

"They went up to St James' Park and won 2-0. What a result. They've got that in them. Michail Antonio is a focal point, and I think Fullkrug can play a vital role. I'm a big fan of Soler, Bowen, Summerville, Paqueta, Kilman, Wan-Bissaka."

West Ham United far to close to Premier League relegation zone

A victory against the Foxes would provide some much-needed daylight between the Hammers and the dreaded dropzone, and even give Lopetegui more time at the helm.

David Sullivan already seems to be searching for Lopetegui's successor, with Sergio Conceicao most recently named as an option [The Guardian], but he will add some credit in the bank if he can rise up the table quickly.

The unexpected 2-0 win against the Magpies certainly raised a few eyebrows but fans' excitement was brought straight back down to earth as they were thumped 5-2 by Arsenal.

Julen Lopetegui West Ham
West Ham United head coach Julen Lopetegui [Credit: Imago]

Anything other than a win against relegation-threatened Leicester would be detrimental to Lopetegui's short future in East London, with fans already becoming frustrated by the Spaniard.

With the likes of Everton, Crystal Palace, Wolves, Ipswich Town and Southampton below them in the table, it would take something quite drastic to drop that low.

In other West Ham news, Julen Lopetegui will surely be gutted as a European club deny any transfer discussions for a current flop.

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.

Darren Bent
West Ham
www.westhamzone.com