Julen Lopetegui is under pressure at West Ham United following a less-than-inspiring start to life in east London. The Spaniard was expected to take the Irons to the next level after replacing David Moyes in the summer, but so far, results have been mixed.
Heading into the November international break, the club have won just three times in the Premier League, with one of those victories coming against Manchester United. Yet, they have suffered five defeats, leaving them in 14th place in the Premier League table, just five points clear of the drop.
Will the former Real Madrid coach last the season? That remains to be seen. With this in mind, Football FanCast looks at eight possible options the Hammers could turn to should Lopetegui find himself out of a job.
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ByCharlie SmithOct 16, 2024 3 Edin Terzić Free agent (last job: Borussia Dortmund)
Edin Terzić led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final last season. Although they lost to Real Madrid, it looked like the club finally had a proper heir to Jürgen Klopp.
Just a week later, he asked to leave in what was a surprising move and has been out of work ever since.
Terzic averaged 1.95 points per game during his spell in charge of the Bundesliga side, seeing his team score 267 times across 128 games. This works out at just over two goals per game.
This attacking philosophy could work wonders at West Ham, as the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta could thrive under the 42-year-old, who was previously assistant at the London Stadium to Slaven Bilic.
4 Michael Carrick Middlesbrough
Michael Carrick has enjoyed a solid start to life in his first managerial role at Middlesbrough. The former West Ham United academy graduate has taken charge of Boro 107 times, winning 54 of those matches and losing only 35 times, achieving 1.68 points per game.
The former midfielder was linked with the West Ham role back in August before Lopetegui was appointed. Might it be second-time lucky for the Englishman should the former Wolves manager be sacked?
His previous connections to the club certainly suggest that Carrick will be in the running, but he might just want to see how far he can take Boro, as the Premier League is a realistic target.
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ByAlex RobertsDec 6, 2023 5 Brendan Rodgers Celtic
Brendan Rodgers has worked his magic during two spells at Celtic, winning three Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and three League Cups across two stints in Glasgow.
He left under a cloud to join Leicester City in 2019, leading the Foxes to back-to-back 5th-place finishes in the Premier League, along with winning their first FA Cup in 2021.
No stranger to the demands of the English top flight, the Northern Irishman could be a decent choice. But with Celtic finally performing in Europe, it remains to be seen if the West Ham job would even appeal at this moment in time.
6 Ruud van Nistelrooy Free agent (last job: Man Utd interim manager)
Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed a positive spell as caretaker manager of Manchester United, winning three of his four games before Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford.
Prior to this, the legendary Dutch striker spent a season in charge of PSV Eindhoven, leading the club to the Dutch Cup. Rather surprisingly, he departed at the end of that campaign.
With Van Nistelrooy now no longer attached to his former club, he may well be on the lookout for a permanent role as a top-flight manager once again – and it could yet be that he stays in the Premier League.
7 Thomas Frank Brentford
Quite frankly (no pun intended), the job Thomas Frank has done with Brentford has been incredible. Upon taking over the club in 2018, Frank has not only led them to the Premier League, but firmly established the Bees as a regular fixture in the top flight.
The Dane has been linked with a move to West Ham in recent weeks amid Lopetegui’s poor form, but would he seriously consider abandoning the project he is still building in west London?
There would be more money available to him at the Irons, but that comes with its own pressures, and it would be fair to say Frank has it pretty good at his current club.
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ByTom CunninghamNov 8, 2024 8 Marco Silva Fulham
Marco Silva has finally found his mojo in England with Fulham. Previous stints with Hull City, Watford and Everton allowed the Portuguese manager to showcase his managerial talents in brief spells.
However, his tenure with the Cottagers has been a match made in heaven. Silva won the Championship title during his first season at the club, before leading Fulham to 10th and 13th-place finishes in the top flight.
This season, the club entered the recent international break in the top half and just a point outside the top four after an impressive start.
If the Irons wish to appoint someone with plenty of top-flight experience who can build a successful team that plays attacking football, they could do no worse than make an approach for Silva.