Julen Lopetegui on the brink of sacking from West Ham with three possible replacements waiting
West Ham are considering sacking manager Julien Lopetegui, talkSPORT understands.
The Hammers board are expected to hold crucial talks today to discuss Lopetegui's future following Tuesday's disastrous incident. defeat 3-1 in Leicester.
Sporting director Tim Steidten, who advised owner David Sullivan not to appoint Lopetegui, is understood to be pushing for a change.
As talkSPORT previously reported, Steidten has already held talks with former Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic.
Former Porto boss Sergio Conceicao and Graham Potter are other possible replacements for Lopetegui.
Potter has turned down numerous opportunities since being sacked by Chelsea in April last year but is now ready to get back to work.
Hammers fans have already made their thoughts on Lopetegui clear, with traveling fans on Tuesday passionately chanting “you'll be fired in the morning” in the Spaniard's direction.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy acknowledged fans' frustrations on talkSPORT and also noted how “confused” West Ham's players looked on the pitch.
“I'll tell you why I care about him,” Murphy said.
“I watched the home games against Chelsea and Arsenal. It wasn't just that they were beaten by better teams, but how they were beaten.
“They were in disarray tactically, physically, attitude, basic concepts… I think the players seem a little confused.
“The big problem he has is that the fans have already turned away.
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“The only way to climb that mountain is if you have a really good race. They don't seem to be in a position to do it because I don't see a pattern.”
Murphy also questioned whether Lopetegui's style of play reflects what Hammers fans want to see on the pitch.
“When you let go of a manager like (David) Moyes, who is quite pragmatic, very good defensively and plays a certain way, you would think he would have been looking at the opposite end of the spectrum,” Murphy said.
“You know, a guy (Fabian) Hurzeler or (Ange) Postecoglou, who will play a little more than the fans want.
“And what you've done is brought in someone who is kind of a halfway house. He's not too pragmatic or too forward.”
Julen Lopetegui's career at West Ham in figures
Games played: 16
win: 5
Giveaways:3
Losses: 8
Goals for: 20
Goals conceded: 32
Lopetegui was defiant when asked about his future following the Leicester defeat and said West Ham's game against his former team Wolves next Monday is all he has on his mind.
“I understand your question,” Lopetegui said.
“We have many games. I am sure that with this attitude we will be able to score many more points. We are very frustrated.
“At the end of the season, maybe we will talk differently. We have a lot of games ahead of us, a lot of points. I believe in these players, I believe in the team and I believe in the second half of the season it will be much better.
“The (players) want to win for themselves, for me, for the club. It's about football, about winning. I told the players that we deserve much more if we are able to create so many chances.
“For me, every match is very important and the next one will be the most important. We have to be focused and put in a good performance to win the match.”
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Lopetegui was named Moyes' successor in May with a two-year contract, with the option of a third.
But it seems highly likely that the former Spain and Real Madrid boss may not even see the new year, with Leicester's defeat marking the eighth of his 16 games in charge.
Lopetegui got off to a torrid start as West Ham won just once in their first six Premier League games, although their defeats came against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea, who all finished in the top six last season.
Since then, the Hammers have recorded record wins over Ipswich Town, Manchester United and Newcastle, but they have not been enough to distract fans from a myriad of defensive weaknesses.
Only Wolves and Leicester have conceded more than West Ham's tally of 27 goals, a figure made even more problematic by the fact that Lopetegui brought in £54m in defensive reinforcements.
