Julen Lopetegui sack twist emerges at West Ham United as David Sullivan stance shared
West Ham United will not sack Julen Lopetegui even if they lose 5-0 to Everton, a source close to David Sullivan has told Jim White.
The Hammers welcome Sean Dyche’s Toffees to the London Stadium on Saturday (9 November) with Lopetegui under ever-increasing pressure after a miserable start to the Premier League season.
Reports suggest the Irons will review the manager’s position in the event of a defeat to the Toffees [The Guardian, 6 November], but tallkSPORT host White insists sources close to the club deny those claims.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Thursday (7 November, 10:55) he said: “This morning a source close to West Ham owner David Sullivan tells me, ‘We hope and expect to do well against Everton. If we were to lose 5-0 against them, he would still be the manager on Monday morning. We are people who honour contracts’
“The spokesman said to me, ‘We expect the manager to come good and we have to give him time’, so you can forget about The Guardian.”
Will West Ham sack Julen Lopetegui amid London Stadium exit speculation?
There seems to be plenty of mixed messages coming out of the London Stadium at this moment in time and it will be hard for supporters to know who they should trust.
Sullivan and the decision-makers around him in East London have not made a habit of chopping and changing managers at the first sign of trouble, but that doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t sack Lopetegui if his position became untenable.
The football under the former Real Madrid manager so far this season has been uninspired and the results have somehow been even worse. Even if the club do decide to stand by the ex-Wolves man, the fans will quickly make their feelings known.
Lopetegui may not desperately need a win to keep his job in East London, but he certainly needs one to get the supporters back on his side.
If West Ham are beaten by Everton on Saturday, it will be a long international break for everyone involved at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have pinpointed a Premier League forward as their new primary striker target
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