West Ham United have announced their decision to part ways with manager Julen Lopetegui despite the Spaniard having spent just six months in charge at the London.
The West Londoners engaged the services of the former Spain and Real Madrid manager during the summer of 2024 after the departure of David Moyes.
However, a hugely disappointing run of just seven wins from 22 matches during his brief stint at the helm has seen the Spaniard become the fourth Premier League manager to lose his job this season.
Speculation about Lopetegui’s future began in early December following a poor start to the season. A narrow 2-1 victory over fellow Wolverhampton Wanderers provided a brief reprieve, giving him time to attempt a turnaround.
However, the Hammers have managed just one win since then, against bottom-placed Southampton. Lopetegui’s final two games in charge ended in heavy defeats, losing 5-0 to Liverpool and 4-1 to Manchester City.
“West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the Club,” a statement read.
“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.
“The Club can confirm that Assistant Head Coach Pablo Sanz, Head of Performance Oscar Caro, Head Analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, Fitness Coach Borja De Alba and Technical Coach Edu Rubio have also left with immediate effect.
“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.”
West Ham currently sit 14th on the Premier League table, level on 23 points with struggling giants Manchester United and just seven points above relegation threatened Ipswich Town.
The Hammers, potentially under new management, will be desperately hoping to successfully navigate a tricky run of fixtures against the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa to close out the month of January.
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