Pellegrini makes Julen Lopetegui comparison in new West Ham admission
Julen Lopetegui has been quickly forgotten at West Ham United after his sacking.
Graham Potter replaced the Spaniard at the London Stadium, but has been forced to endure a slow start with eyes on the future for David Sullivan.
While Lopetegui’s sacking felt justified due to the shocking results, West Ham were criticised after entering talks with Potter before everything else was announced.
Pellegrini makes Lopetegui admission
Lopetegui seemed to be out of his depth in the Premier League, and West Ham were nowhere near competing at the right end of the table.
Given how much money the manager had spent in the summer transfer window, the lack of success on the pitch had to be answered for.
At the time, West Ham were called out consistently for how they conducted things, although now Potter has steadied the ship at The London Stadium, Sullivan probably feels his actions were justified.
Although Manuel Pellegrini was given longer in his role at West Ham than Lopetegui, the current Real Betis manager has admitted he sees similarities in the exits.
Talking to El Larguero, quoted via Pablo Montano, Pellegrini admitted: “Julen Lopetegui’s departure was very similar to mine.
“It’s one of the clubs where I couldn’t finish my contract. A club that eventually calls you and fires you over the phone.”
Potter not to be subject to the same West Ham fate
It sounds as though Pellegrini is still bitter about his departure from East London, and given that he is claiming he was fired over the phone, you can understand why he may be scorned.
He was given longer than Lopetegui to succeed, but the actions taken by the Irons hierarchy in both cases do hold similar characteristics.
Potter, on the other hand, has pulled his side 17 points away from the relegation zone, and that has been done in difficult circumstances.
| Manager | Win Rate |
| Manuel Pellegrini | 37.5% |
| Julen Lopetegui | 31.82% |
| Graham Potter | 30% |
Due to his predecessor’s summer transfer window, the new boss was limited in his winter window business despite having several key players missing out through injury.
Therefore, after getting a proper transfer window under his belt at the end of the season, you would expect to see more positive times ahead at West Ham.
Sullivan certainly won’t be keen to make another quick axing either, so it is in his interests to show support for the boss and bring in the necessary players to push up the table.