West Ham decision-makers stance on Lopetegui sack shared after Wolves win
West Ham decision-makers who wanted to sack Julen Lopetegui acknowledged how well the team performed after Michail Antonio’s road traffic accident but he still needs a run of wins to save his job, Sky Sports journalist Paul Gilmour has said.
After a poor start to the campaign, there has been plenty of talk about whether the Spaniard is the man who can take the Hammers out of their rut.
West Ham’s Monday night [9 December] game against Wolves was being branded by many as ‘El Sackico’ and it was the East London outfit who came out on top with a 2-1 win.
However, Gilmour reported that while the result, which came after news of Antonio’s accident, has eased the pressure, his position remains under threat.
He wrote for Sky Sports (10 December): “Those at the club who want a managerial change are not getting carried away with a win over a struggling Wolves side – they are second bottom in the table – and are still looking for consistent results and defensive improvement.
“But there is an acknowledgement that the team stuck together in difficult circumstances to get the win after a difficult few days at the club following Michail Antonio’s road traffic accident.”
What does Julen Lopetegui have to do to save West Ham future?
In the game that was branded ‘El Sackico’, Lopetegui came out on top and that had to be enough to save his future for the time being at the London Stadium.
However, what needs to happen now is the team put together a real consistent run of victories. For too long this term the form has been patchy and Lopetegui got lucky that he came up against his former side when they were also in a really difficult patch under Gary O’Neil.
Therefore, it isn’t a surprise that there remain concerns over the Spaniard with the club closely monitoring the development of results and performances in the coming weeks.
Even with the results going their way, it seems that until performances show a consistent improvement, there will remain pressure on the 58-year-old especially as that is the change supporters were looking for following his appointment.
For now, he is safe but with conversations reportedly having happened regarding his potential successor, it still feels like it could just be a matter of time until an exit from the London Stadium is announced.
In other West Ham news, a twist has emerged amid Graham Potter’s potential move to the Hammers.
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