West Ham have sacked head coach Julen Lopetegui after less than eight months in charge.
The Hammers, who are currently 14th in the Premier League, are expected to announce former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter as the Spaniard’s replacement.
Talks with Potter were at an advanced stage on Tuesday night, with a few contract details still to be resolved, PA news agency reported and the club has confirmed the process of appointing his successor has begun.
A statement from the club said: “West Ham United can confirm that head coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the club.
“The first half of the 2024/25 season has not aligned with the club’s ambitions and the club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives.
“The board would like to thank Julen and his staff [assistant head coach Pablo Sanz, head of performance Oscar Caro, head analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, fitness coach Borja De Alba, and technical coach Edu Rubio] for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.”
Lopetegui, 58, took training as usual on Tuesday and reported for work on Wednesday to be officially told his spell in charge was over.
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The former Real Madrid and Wolves coach was appointed in May to replace David Moyes, who left the club at the end of last season after his contract expired.
He was tasked with bringing a more attacking style of play to the London Stadium after some fans grew frustrated with Moyes’ pragmatic approach, even though the Scot led the club to a first trophy in 43 years when they won the Europa Conference League in 2023.
But despite spending £130m on nine new players last summer, results have been poor.
Lopetegui’s position was under threat in early December following a 3-1 defeat at Leicester, but a run of four matches unbeaten earned him a stay of execution.
However, the manner of the 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool after Christmas, followed by a 4-1 loss at Manchester City on Saturday, set alarms bells ringing again among the West Ham hierarchy.
The club are looking at potential striking options in the January transfer window, with Jarrod Bowen out for six weeks with a fractured foot and Michail Antonio facing a long road back after he was injured in a car accident last month.
Potter is poised to return to management 20 months since he was sacked by Chelsea just seven months and 31 matches into a five-year contract.
The Hammers face a tough FA Cup third-round trip to Aston Villa on Friday before home league matches with Fulham and Crystal Palace.
