Julen Lopetegui West Ham United sack verdict shared after Southampton win
Julen Lopetegui’s role as West Ham United manager may be on much sounder footing after their Premier League victory over Southampton on Boxing Day, Ben Collins has said.
The Hammers triumphed 1-0 over Ivan Juric’s men after Jarrod Bowen coolly slotted the only goal of the game past Aaron Ramsdale.
Thanks to the three points they earned at St Mary’s, Lopetegui’s men are now 13th in the top-flight table and are just two points adrift of 10th-placed Brighton.
Writing for the BBC Sport website (26 December), journalist Collins shared his thoughts on the future of the Spaniard at the London Stadium.
“Just a few weeks ago, Lopetegui’s position was in doubt, but for the first time this season, his side has gone four games unbeaten in the Premier League,” he wrote.
“West Ham are now looking forward to the challenge of hosting leaders Liverpool on Sunday, and if [Niclas] Fullkrug can stay fit – and their latest injuries are not long-term – perhaps Lopetegui does have a future with the Hammers after all”.
Julen Lopetegui has bought himself some extra time at West Ham United
There have been countless times this season when fans have called for the head of Lopetegui due to the poor performances his Hammers team have put in throughout the season.
In fact, there have even been times when it’s felt like there was no direction or vision for the future at the London Stadium with the Spaniard in charge.
Several names have been linked with taking over the Hammers’ hot seat but fortunately for Lopetegui, David Sullivan has stuck to his guns and kept the former Real Madrid boss at the helm.
There has been a recent upturn in form from the West Ham camp and if things continue in this sort of trajectory, it’s easy to see why Lopetegui likely has a future with the Hammers.
His summer signings finally seem to be settling in and although they sustained a couple of injuries against Juric’s men on 26 December, it still feels like things are getting somewhat brighter in London.
In other West Ham news, an ex-PGMOL chief has reacted to the controversy in the Irons’ win over Southampton.
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