West Ham next permanent manager odds, including ex-Chelsea and Man Utd bosses | Football

West Ham are reportedly on the cusp of parting ways with Julen Lopetegui after an immensely disappointing start to the season for the club.

Lopetegui, 58, put pen to paper on a two-year deal in the summer, taking over the reins from David Moyes’ second spell in the hot seat at the London Stadium.

But wins have been few and far between for Lopetegui’s misfiring Hammers and reports this evening claimed the east London outfit had decided to bring the Spaniard’s brief reign to an end.

Lopetegui, formerly the manager of Wolves and Real Madrid, is set to depart with the Irons languishing down in 14th place and hovering just seven points above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

Across his 22 matches at the helm, Lopetegui has managed just seven victories and five draws, while suffering a total of ten losses in all competitions.

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A pair of heavy defeats at the hands of top-of-the-table Liverpool and champions Manchester City could prove to be the final straw for West Ham bosses, who would look to wrap up a deal for Lopetegui’s successor as speedily as possible.

According to talkSPORT, Graham Potter has emerged as the clear frontrunner to pick up the pieces from Lopetegui and talks have already taken place with the former Chelsea and Brighton head coach.

Potter has been out of a job since his dismissal at Stamford Bridge in April 2023, after less than seven months in charge – and the 49-year-old Englishman has been actively seeking a return to management.

‘I’m open to anything, to be honest,’ Potter said Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football programme on October.

‘I’ve had a fantastic journey over the last 12 years from the fourth tier of Swedish football to the last eight of the Champions League and I would like to spend the next 12 years in the same position, developing players, teams, working with people and making a difference.

‘Wherever that is, I’m open to everything.’

Who are the bookmakers’ favourites to replace Lopetegui at West Ham? Latest odds

Potter, who was linked with both the Manchester United and England jobs in recent months, is Betfair’s strong favourite to succeed Lopetegui at the London Stadium with odds of 4/7.

Elsewhere on Betfair’s star-studded list of contenders, Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic and Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick – who came through West Ham’s academy as a youngster – have odds of 9/1.

Moyes is priced at 14/1 to return for a third managerial stint in east London, while Russell Martin and Gareth Southgate are seen as 20/1 outside bets after departing their respective roles with Southampton and England.

Erik ten Hag, meanwhile, has odds of 25/1 to be appointed, just three months on from his sacking at Old Trafford.

Speaking after West Ham’s latest defeat to Manchester City, an increasingly under-pressure Lopetegui insisted his side performed ‘very well’ and ‘did a lot of good things’.

He told reporters: ‘It’s true that we did a lot of good things. In my opinion, in the first half, we overcame a lot of things, but we didn’t take advantage of our good things and positive things.

‘In football, if you don’t take advantage then normally, against this kind of team, you are going to be closer to suffering a goal [being scored against you].

‘But the first goal was very, very unlucky. It was not about one moment when they dominated us or they had clear chances. It was one moment when it was one rebound [off Coufal’s boot into the net] and it was very unlucky for us.

‘It was one key moment, above all, and it came after we had a very clear situation to score, which we didn’t do. And when this happens, normally you are going to lose the match. 

‘There was another key moment when Crysencio Summerville regained the ball in a very clear press and the referee whistled for a foul, but it was not at foul. It was very clear and had a very good press. It was a very clear chance for us, a one-on-one with the ‘keeper.

‘So, when all the key moments work against you, against this kind of opponent, normally you are going to lose, but that’s why it’s not easy for me to explain the match.’

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