West Ham line up Lopetegui replacement as relationship with under-fire Tim Steidten reaches breaking point | OneFootball

West Ham United have opened talks with Graham Potter to become their new manager, with under-fire Julen Lopetegui on the verge of being dismissed, the Guardian reports.

Hammers owner David Sullivan held talks with Potter on Monday night, and the former Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion manager is seriously considering the offer.

Lopetegui was identified as the forward-thinking manager who would take West Ham up a notch following a horrendous final campaign under club legend David Moyes.

However, that shocking decision has come back to haunt them, with the Spanish manager, whose system bears striking similarities to Moyes’ ‘negative’ approach, struggling to steady the ship.

West Ham have won just one of their last five Premier League games (D2, L2).

They’ve picked up just two wins from eight stretching back to the end of November (D2, L4) and are languishing dangerously close to the drop zone, just seven points ahead of 18th-placed Ipswich Town.

The Hammers have conceded nine goals in their last two games, falling to a deflating 5-0 defeat against league leaders Liverpool before suffering a 4-1 loss against reigning champions Manchester City.

West Ham need to move on from Lopetegui

Despite going on a four-match unbeaten run last month, Lopetegui’s tenure has been marred by poor defensive performances and injury woes, including the loss of star forward Jarrod Bowen to a broken foot.

The situation has been compounded by internal conflicts.

Technical director Tim Steidten has not been seen at the training ground for three weeks amid reports that his relationship with the Spanish manager has reached breaking point.

West Ham need to move on from Lopetegui. He was never the messiah or pioneer of front-foot football they thought he was, and that’s on the club hierarchy.

The move has failed spectacularly but they have a chance to repair the damage before it gets any worse.

West Ham were initially willing to wait until the summer before switching things up, but they’ve decided to expedite their search for a new manager, and rightly so.

Potter needs to be in the dugout in the coming weeks. If the fans can ignore his ill-advised spell with Chelsea, the Englishman could be the answer to West Ham’s struggles.

He has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in April 2023, but his progressive, possession-based football could be tonic to West Ham’s fall from grace.