Julen Lopetegui has been sacked by West Ham with the club 14th in the Premier League table.
Consecutive heavy defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City were the final nail in the coffin after months of speculation surrounding Lopetegui’s future.
Former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter is understood to be the leading contender to replace him.
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 alongside the Spaniard.
Lopetegui suffered an uninspiring start at the London Stadium, having replaced David Moyes last summer, which ultimately never developed into anything more.
Moyes had enjoyed relative success in east London, finishing ninth last term and reaching the Europa League quarter-finals – having won the Conference League the previous year.
The decision to appoint Lopetegui was supposed to improve West Ham’s tactical style, but his own brand of football did little to convince supporters this new direction had potential.
There were tensions with technical director Tim Steidten, who had played a key role in summer recruitment. In Lopetegui’s final days it was reported he had asked Steidten to stay away from the training ground.
Outside the relegation zone, only Crystal Palace and Manchester United have scored fewer goals, while 39 goals conceded is the fourth-highest in the division. Forward Michail Antonio was involved in a serious car accident in December and Jarrod Bowen fractured his foot in the defeat to Liverpool.
The Hammers won just six league games under Lopetegui. Particular lowlights of his tenure include a 5-2 home defeat to Arsenal, 3-0 losses to Nottingham Forest and Chelsea and a 4-1 battering by Tottenham.
The Spaniard’s inability to make the most of a thrilling group of players, which includes Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and Mohammed Kudus, coupled with his overreliance on static defensive midfielders like Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez, stunted their play.
And having spent £123m on a series of high-profile transfers this summer, Lopetegui could not point to a lack of financial backing to achieve his goals, as he did while in charge at Wolves.
In a statement, the club said: “West Ham United can confirm that Head Coach Julen Lopetegui has today left the club.
“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 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.
“The process of appointing a replacement is underway.”
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