A former West Ham United recruitment chief, who only left the club in June, has shared why manager Julen Lopetegui could “definitely” be at risk of the sack in east London.
West Ham rescue 1-1 draw at Brentford
The Irons haven’t won a game in all competitions since late August, with their last victory coming in a 1-0 EFL Cup second-round win against Bournemouth.
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Since then, West Ham have been knocked out of the EFL Cup – following a 5-1 battering to Liverpool at Anfield – and have suffered resounding defeats against Premier League heavyweights Man City and Chelsea.
They very nearly lost to London rivals Fulham as well – were it not for a dramatic late equaliser from striker Danny Ings – and it took a bundled equaliser from midfielder Tomas Soucek to rescue a point at Brentford on Saturday.
Match
Date
Opponent
Competition
Result
#8
28/09/2024
Brentford (A)
Premier League
1-1 draw
#7
25/09/2024
Liverpool (A)
Carabao Cup
5-1 loss
#6
21/09/2024
Chelsea (H)
Premier League
3-0 loss
#5
14/09/2024
Fulham (A)
Premier League
1-1 draw
#4
31/08/2024
Man City (H)
Premier League
3-1 loss
#3
28/08/2024
Bournemouth (H)
Carabao Cup
1-0 win
#2
24/08/2024
Crystal Palace (A)
Premier League
2-0 win
#1
17/08/2024
Aston Villa (H)
Premier League
2-1 loss
Bryan Mbeumo’s first-minute strike gave Lopetegui’s visitors a real scare, and despite getting a result at the G-tech Community Stadium, West Ham have been criticised for their performance at Brentford.
“When you’re in a bad run of form and you concede with 41 seconds on the clock, you fear the worst. In that context, the way West Ham bounced back to earn a point at Brentford is a positive,” said Sky journalist Ron Walker.
“But that’s still as good as it gets. For a team with the depth and quality of this Hammers side, the lack of memorable moments they produced is still a concern.
“The Hammers’ defending has been a major cause for concern but their attacking return is an even greater worry when Julen Lopetegui was tasked with delivering a more expansive style.
“That will take time but with an expected goals tally lower than Southampton despite Lucas Paqueta, Mohamed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen featuring in every game, even their individual quality should be enough to produce more than this.”
West Ham spent nearly £120 million on nine summer signings before transfer deadline day, and there is certainly a real case to be made that they should be performing at a much higher level than this.
Former West Ham chief shares why Lopetegui is at risk of sack
Speaking to Football Insider, ex-West Ham recruitment chief Mick Brown says Lopetegui is “definitely” at risk of getting sacked, and he goes on to state that the club’s owners and directors’ knowledge of football is seriously lacking.
“I think there’s more pressure on him after what David Moyes managed to do,” said Brown.
“When 60,000 people are saying they don’t want this and they want a different type of football, the board have had to be careful with their decision.
“It’s always difficult trying to judge what the owners and directors will do. Their knowledge of the game is not great and they’ve made many mistakes in the past. They were warned to be careful what they wished for, but having made that decision [replacing Moyes with Lopetegui], they’re wary of making another mistake.
“I don’t know Lopetegui and I don’t know how he works, but if we’re looking at the results he’s had so far, which is what the game is about, he’s definitely at risk.
“Results will need to improve because one win in six games isn’t good enough after what David Moyes has done.”
