Julen Lopetegui’s future at West Ham is reportedly hanging in the balance, so we’re taking a look at five managers that could replace the Spaniard in the hot seat at the London Stadium.
West Ham are reportedly considering parting ways with Julen Lopetegui following defeats to Arsenal and Leicester.
The Spaniard arrived in East London with high hopes back in May, replacing David Moyes, who had been at the helm for five years, penning a two-year contract with an option to extend for a third year.
It hasn’t quite worked out as the former Wolves boss would’ve hoped however, as the Hammers sit in 14th place in the Premier League table after 14 matches, having won just four games thus far this term. They have also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup, suffering a third-round exit after losing 5-1 to Liverpool.
With question marks surrounding the 58-year-old’s future at the London Stadium, we at SportsCasting are taking a look at five candidates that could replace the Spaniard to become the next West Ham manager.
Five Managers That Could Replace Julen Lopetegui At West Ham
5. Graham Potter
As is standard when a Premier League manager is under pressure, Graham Potter is typically mooted as a potential replacement. He is also among the favourites in our next West Ham manager odds market.
The 49-year-old has been heavily linked with taking over from Lopetegui across several media outlets, as he remains out of work after being dismissed by Chelsea after less than seven months in charge back in April 2023.
Prior to his spell at Stamford Bridge, Potter enjoyed spells at Brighton, Swansea City and Ostersund.
Potter had also been heavily linked with the England job following Gareth Southgate’s departure last summer. The Football Association, however, opted to hire German manager Thomas Tuchel instead.
As well, the English coach was in attendance for the Hammers’ 3-1 defeat to Leicester in the East Midlands on Wednesday, featuring as a pundit on Amazon Prime Sport’s coverage of the fixture.
4. Roger Schmidt
Touted as a potential option for the Hammers by fans and members of the media across social media, could German coach Roger Schmidt take over from Lopetegui?
Schmidt, who is reportedly under consideration by Champions League side RB Leipzig too, was sacked by Portuguese giants Benfica back in August, where he won the Primeira Liga title and the Super Cup during his two-year stay.
The 57-year-old boasted an impressive 69.57% win percentage with the Lisbon-based outfit, following spells as manager of Paderborn, RB Salzburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Beijing Guoan and PSV Eindhoven.
Alongside the trophies he won in Portugal, his honours include the Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup, the Chinese FA Cup, the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield.
3. Edin Terzic
Former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic is another who is being reported as a candidate to join West Ham.
It is claimed that the Hammers’ sporting director, Tim Steidten, has already held talks with the 42-year-old, who has been out of work since leaving his role at Dortmund back in June.
Terzic enjoyed two spells in charge at the Signal Iduna Park, first between December 2020 and June 2021 and then between May 2022 and June 2024, where he won the DFB-Pokal in 2021 and finished second to Real Madrid in the Champions League last season.
The German also has previous experience with the Hammers, having served as assistant coach to Slaven Bilic between 2015 and 2017.
2. Sergio Conceicao
Ex-Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is another manager that the Hammers’ hierarchy are reportedly eyeing up.
The 50-year-old is said to be in contention for the reported soon-to-be vacant role at the London Stadium following his exit from Porto in June after seven years in charge of the Portuguese giants.
Conceicao, previously of Nantes, Vitoria Guimaraes, Braga, Academica and Olhanense, won three Primeira Liga titles during his spell with Porto, as well as four Taca de Portugal titles, one Taca da Liga and three Super Cups.
West Ham sporting director Steidten is understood to be a big fan of the Portuguese coach.
1. Kasper Hjulmand
Kasper Hjulmand is among the candidates to take over in East London, reports Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.
The 52-year-old has been out of work since resigning from his role with the Danish national team after a round of 16 exit at Euro 2024 in July but is said to be ready for a new challenge.
Hjulmand led Denmark to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they were eliminated by England in extra time, and his previous clubs include Danish sides Lyngby and Nordsjaelland, as well as German Bundesliga side Mainz.
