Julen Lopetegui has been made the 2/1 favourite to replace David Moyes at West Ham this summer, as speculation continues over the current manager’s future.
Moyes, who is currently in his second spell at the London Stadium, has constantly found his job under scrutiny and speculation despite a relative period of success at the club having won the Europa Conference League last season and enjoyed sixth and seventh-placed finishes.
However with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, there have been strong rumours over the identity of the next manager with Lopetegui, Graham Potter and Ruben Amorim all linked with the role.
Here are the latest odds with Paddy Power(correct as of Thursday 25 April, 12pm):
Next West Ham Manager Odds
- Julen Lopetegui - 2/1
- Graham Potter - 3/1
- Michael Carrick - 8/1
- Ruben Amorim - 8/1
- Hansi Flick - 8/1
Meet the Candidates
Julen Lopetegui
If there is one thing West Ham appear to want from Moyes’ replacement, it is a hint of glamour. It has felt that way every since they moved to the London Stadium and Moyes, despite decent results, doesn’t exactly bring that. So Lopetegui, as a former Real Madrid and Spain manager, would be ideally placed to bring that and the success he enjoyed at Sevilla - where he won the Europa League in 2019-20 - acts as a good comparison for a club of a similar size.
The success enjoyed by Unai Emery - another former Sevilla boss - at Aston Villa could be the inspiration behind this move, as Lopetegui didn’t exactly pull up any trees at Wolves last season and left the club in bitter fashion, walking out days before the start of the season after a falling out with the club’s hierarchy. On the face of it, it feels like Lopetegui and West Ham are bound to end up together at some point, but that doesn’t mean it will go well.
Graham Potter
Potter has been patiently waiting for his next route into the game after his spell at Chelsea didn’t go to plan - even if results in the 12 months since his dismissal have perhaps reflected a little more favourably on the job he did there. Having made the jump from Brighton to Chelsea, there were some who considered it too big a step and it would not be a surprise to see him go back into work at a slightly lower level, and West Ham would be a good match for that.
His style of football would fit in well at the club but as a principled person he could clash with the club’s hierarchy, though he showed at Chelsea that he was willing to put up with all sorts of interference. Potter has been linked to the England and Manchester United jobs this summer, so he might hold on for other opportunities.
Michael Carrick
There is no doubt that Carrick is one of the coming men of British coaching, having impressed in the 18 months he has spent at Middlesbrough after moving on from Manchester United’s backroom staff. Generally since then, he has impressed, picking up a relegation-threatened side and lifting them up to the play-offs last season, while introducing an attractive and entertaining style of play.
However this year they have failed to build on that promise. While by no means a disaster, Boro would have hoped to challenge more seriously for the top six and Carrick perhaps hasn’t quite put himself in the shop window as he might have done. Having come through the West Ham academy, he would buy himself some time with the fans but with the ambition the club is trying to show it might be too big a step too soon for the former England midfielder.
Ruben Amorim
This time last week, Amorim was considered a shoo-in to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, having been regularly tipped to move on to the Premier League from Sporting Lisbon. However links have emerged between him and West Ham which quickly put the dampener on any hopes Liverpool fans had, and he instead remains one of the favourites for the West Ham role.
Sporting are on course for a second league title since he joined the club in 2020 - which is some achievement in a league dominated by Benfica and Porto - and have done that with an entertaining, attack-minded style of play. At just 39, Amorim clearly has time on his side and if he can replicate his success at Sporting in another league, he will place himself among Europe’s elite coaches and West Ham could be an ideal stepping stone for that.
Hansi Flick
The former Bayern Munich manager may be looking for a route back into club management after a disastrous spell in charge of Germany and exiting the World Cup in the group stages. He had huge success at Bayern, stepping up from assistant manager in 2019 to lead the club to Champions League glory and the club’s second continental treble. He lifted seven trophies in total while manager before moving on for the Germany national job, so he would be considered something of a coup for West Ham despite more recent struggles.
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