Julen Lopetegui is no longer West Ham United manager. The Spanish coach, formerly in the Spanish national squad, Sevilla, Wolverhampton and Real Madrid, arrived to the London club on May 2024, but has been on the cliff's edge for a good part of his tenure.
The last straw was two hammerings suffered against Liverpool (5-0) and Manchester City (4-1), leaving the club in 14th place on Premier League, with only one victory in the last five games. "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", West Ham said in a statement. "The Board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future".
The club took its time to debate and have a replacement ready immediately after Lopetegui's sacking, because West Ham didn't have any mid-week match (this week, the first half of the Carabao Cup semi-finals took place).
And the chosen one has been Graham Potter, previously on Brighton and Chelsea, as well as Swedish club Östersund, appointed for the remaining of the season and two more. "I am delighted to be here. It was important to me that I waited until a job came along that I felt was right for me, and equally that I was the right fit for the Club I am joining", said Potter, who describes it as a "huge Club, at the heart of London, with a tremendous fanbase from around the world, highlighting the Conference League victory in 2023: " You don't win a European trophy by fluke - there has to be a good bedrock at a football club for that to happen".