Tim Steidten and board clash over next West Ham United manager
West Ham United's board and sporting director Tim Steidten are not unified on who to hire as the club's next manager, according to Foot Mercato.
The French outlet reported on 6 December that a decision on Julen Lopetegui's future is set to be made imminently, and Hammers decision-makers are casting the net wide in terms of potential options.
Christophe Galtier, Maurizio Sarri and Max Allegri have all been "offered" to the club [Foot Mercato, 6 December], but those on the London Stadium board would instead prefer to recruit an English manager.
Steidten, meanwhile, is set on hiring a German compatriot if and when Lopetegui is shown the door, with this lack of coherence and clarity on their next move potentially delaying the Irons' efforts to replace him.
West Ham indecision could cost them again after Julen Lopetegui
While Lopetegui remains in post at the London Stadium for the time being, it's widely accepted that the club's board is leaning towards sacking the Spaniard, with Monday's match against Wolves likely his last.
Should the 58-year-old be shown the door in the wake of anything less than victory at Molienux, the process of finding a new manager will begin again – albeit that certainly should not be the case.
The Hammers have been sounding out potential candidates to succeed Lopetegui in recent weeks given the rate at which their form has stagnated, but it would seem they're no closer to an ideal candidate.
A desire to hire an English manager – such as ex-Hammer Michael Carrick – is likely David Sullivan-led, odd given none of the Irons' last four head coaches have been English since Sam Allardyce's exit in 2015.
Steidten, meanwhile, has already been rebuffed by one German coach [Florian Plettenberg, 5 December], and unless he can start seeing eye-to-eye with his higher-ups, another botched appointment akin to Lopetegui could be in the pipeline.
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