It has been reported that West Ham United is about to appoint Julen Lopetegui as their new permanent manager. Although current manager David Moyes has stated that no decision will be taken until the end of the season, rumours about the Scot’s departure have grown. Moyes’ contract expires at the end of the current campaign. After fruitless negotiations between the Hammers and Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim in April, it now seems like Lopetegui is on the verge of taking the position.
Since departing Molineux on the eve of the Premier League season, the 57-year-old former Spain manager has been unemployed. After taking over with Wolves near the bottom of the table, he guided the team to a 13th-place finish and signed Matheus Cunha, who was tied for the team’s highest scorer this season.
West Ham is three points ahead of Wolves this season as both teams aim for a top-half finish, having ended one point behind them in the previous year. Before the season is out, both teams still have to play Manchester City, who will visit the Etihad Stadium on the last day of play as title candidates.
The Guardian reports that negotiations with Lopetegui are “gathering pace.” Before making any announcements, there are still reportedly a few more things to arrange. Speaking for himself, Moyes has scheduled a meeting with the board following the last game against Manchester City. The former manager of Manchester United and Everton, who returned to the Hammers in the middle of the 2019–20 campaign, may stay for a longer period of time.
The AC Milan position has also been connected to Lopetegui, who led Sevilla and Real Madrid in the past. Stefano Pioli is expected to leave the San Siro at the end of the current campaign. Although Paulo Fonseca has also been connected to West Ham and Milan, Lopetegui seems to be the favourite to take over at the London Stadium right now.
“I don’t have anything to declare. In April, following West Ham’s elimination from the Europa League by Bayer Leverkusen, Moyes declared, “I am happy.” “We are simply moving forward with the work. We are engaging in gaming. There are five more games left. We’ll carry it out. I still feel as though there isn’t a true rush to get anything done.
“We had a pretty good start to the year. We have kept it going and we have probably been sixth, seventh, eighth. I am hoping we can keep ourselves in that position. We have been there most of the year.”
After playing the first two of the five games, his club lost 5-2 against Crystal Palace before drawing with Liverpool at home the previous time around. They have only won one of their previous eight league games, so a loss against Chelsea on Sunday would almost eliminate any chance of them finishing in the top six.