Julen Lopetegui sack: West Ham ‘prepare replacement as contact made’
West Ham have moved to sound out Edin Terzic as their potential replacement for Julen Lopetegui, talkSport has reported.
The former Wolves manager only took charge of the Hammers in the summer, but has endured a slow start to the campaign.
The club have taken just 12 points in 11 league games so far this season, putting them 14th in the Premier League table. As a result, pressure is already starting to mount on the West Ham boss.
Owner David Sullivan is apparently keen to give the Spaniard more time, but the club are preparing for the eventuality that he cannot turn things around.
It is therefore thought that the club have spoken to Terzic about potentially taking over. Director of football Tim Steidten is said to be a big fan of the 42-year-old.
The German has been out of work since leaving Borussia Dortmund in the summer, despite guiding them to the Champions League final last season.
Prior to that, he also worked for the Hammers as a coach under Slaven Bilic between 2015 and 2017.
Edin Terzic a candidate worth considering for West Ham
Football Insider Opinion
It is of course worth noting that Terzic is not the only name to have been linked with taking over at the London Stadium recently.
However, the German could certainly be one of the better options to take over that role, if the Hammers chose to sack Lopetegui.
The 42-year-old did a remarkable job with Dortmund last season, going well beyond expectations to get them all the way to that Champions League final.
As a result, he does have the sort of top level experience and pedigree that might be needed to turn things around at West Ham.
Given he is a free agent getting a manager of the German’s stature without having to pay any sort of compensation could be seen as a rather smart piece of business for the Hammers.
While things have changed since his last spell there the fact he has some familiarity with the club could also help the 42-year-old settle in quickly and hit the ground running at the London Stadium.
With that in mind, speaking to Terzic to potentially set him up to take over this role may prove to be a sensible move from West Ham.
In other news, West Ham turned down the chance to sign a current Chelsea player.
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