Julen Lopetegui ‘given two games to save West Ham job’ with ex-Chelsea boss waiting in wings to replace him
JULEN LOPETEGUI has reportedly been given two games to save his job at West Ham.
The Spanish manager was named David Moyes’ successor in the summer following the Scot’s exit.
Lopetegui, 58, has endured a tough start to his tenure, with the Hammers lingering in the bottom half of the table.
West Ham have only won six of their 19 league fixtures, with their last result being a 5-0 thumping by Liverpool at the London Stadium.
The devasting result has heaped pressure on the former Real Madrid boss.
TalkSPORT have claimed that the West Ham board have given Lopetegui two games to save himself from the sack.
This means that Lopetegui will have to pick up positive results from two away trips against Manchester City and Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
He has already survived the sack this season with a crucial win over Wolves at the London Stadium.
The game was labelled as ‘El Sackio’ as he and former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil were under huge pressure.
Both survived the aftermath of the match, although O’Neil was axed just six days later after a defeat to Ipswich Town.
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The report claims that former Chelsea boss Graham Potter is waiting in the wings should the trigger be pulled on Lopetegui.
The English coach has been out of management since he was axed by the Blues in 2023.
He was in charge at Stamford Bridge for just eight months despite being poached from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and German coach Roger Schmidt have also been linked to the hot seat in East London.
Lopetegui has not had a trouble-free time in charge of the Hammers.
In recent weeks, he has had to deal with the horrific car crash that has ruled star striker Michail Antonio out for the foreseeable.
His dad, Jose, sadly passed away at the age of 94 earlier this month after suffering from health problems.
West Ham youth goalkeeper Oscar Fairs also died aged 15 following a battle with cancer.
Before the loss to Liverpool, West Ham had gone four games unbeaten.
This run saw wins over Wolves and Southampton as well as draws against Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion.