Julen Lopetegui sack timeline shared at West Ham after what happened v Wolves
Sky Sports reporter Paul Gilmore has shared that the next three West Ham United fixtures will remain detrimental in determining the future of Julen Lopetegui.
The Spaniard eased the growing pressure on his job in East London with the 2-1 win against Wolves on Monday [9 December] and impressed the board with how well his players responded to the scrutiny.
However, Lopetegui is not out of the woods at the London Stadium just yet, as Gilmour shared the updated conditions for him to remain at the Hammers helm live on Sky Sports [10 December, 3:06pm].
He said: “The next three games, those will still be closely monitored with Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton to come, Bournemouth the immediate one. And of course another defeat after that victory against Wolves will crank up the pressure again even more.
“So the West Ham players have been given a couple of days off ahead of that game on Monday Night Football but West Ham are striving for consistency and those are the games that could well still shape the future of their manager.”
Julen Lopetegui gets another chance to remain at West Ham United
West Ham supporters will undoubtedly feel Lopetegui has nine lives in East London as he survives another make-or-break clash.
The Guardian reported on 20 November that results against Newcastle United and Arsenal would decide his future at the Hammers, and despite picking up one victory and one defeat in said fixtures, he was allowed to remain in his position.
Then, Fabrizio Romano provided an update on 5 December, claiming the clash against Wolves would be his final chance to continue his role in East London – and he passed that test thanks to a slender 2-1 win.
However, his track record when appearing to reach a turning point at the Irons speaks for itself – he followed up seemingly momentum-turning victories against Newcastle and Manchester United with losses against Nottingham Forest and Arsenal.
Unfortunately for Lopetegui, defeat will not be an option this time, and he must secure all nine points available before the final clash of 2024 against Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Bournemouth have already taken the scalps of Manchester City and Arsenal this year, whereas Brighton are notoriously tricky opponents to face regardless of who is in the dugout – the only fixture ahead the West Ham faithful will be confident of beating would be against Southampton.
This could finally be Lopetegui’s final lifeline at West Ham.
In other West Ham news, Mario Lemina speaks out after what happened in the Irons’ clash against Wolves.
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