West Ham are doing their "due dilligence" and had spoken to former Wolves, Real Madrid and Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui; Current manager David Moyes' contract expires in the summer; West Ham are currently ninth in the Premier League table with three games to play
Friday 3 May 2024 20:31, UK
Sky Sports News understands West Ham have held initial talks with Julen Lopetegui.
The club continue to do due diligence on a number of managers if David Moyes vacates the post this summer. A final decision on Moyes' future has yet to be made, with the Hammers boss out of contract at the end of the season.
Lopetegui has been out of work since he left Wolves days before the start of the season. He has previously coached at Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla.
He was also on a three-person shortlist for the Manchester United job when Erik ten Hag took the role.
Bayern Munich have also enquired about Lopetegui, according to Sky Germany. The Bundesliga side are said to be considering a number of options, after Ralf Rangnick's rejection this week.
But on Friday, current Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel refused to rule out the possibility of staying beyond this season. In February, the former Chelsea head coach agreed to part ways with Bayern at the end of the season.
West Ham also held discussions with Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim last month. Amorim has since apologised to the Sporting fans for the timing and publicity of those talks.
Paulo Fonseca is another name that Sky Sports News was recently told was under serious consideration at the club.
He is currently in charge of French side Lille, but his deal also runs out this summer.
Moyes said in February that he had been offered a new deal, but West Ham doing their due diligence should not come as a surprise in terms of future planning.
West Ham sit ninth and have just three Premier League games left against Chelsea, Luton and Manchester City.
Last season Moyes guided the club to Europa Conference League glory - their first European trophy since 1965 - but West Ham have won just four games out of 21 played in 2024.
If Moyes' second spell in charge of West Ham is brought to an end this summer, then it would be likely that technical director Tim Steidten's power at the club would be increased.
When Moyes was re-appointed in December 2019, it was under the proviso he would have a bigger say on recruitment compared to his first spell.
But upon Steidten's appointment in July 2023, West Ham said the German, who previously worked at Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen, would be "responsible for the club's overarching player recruitment strategy and scouting department".
And according to recent media reports, Steidten has been asked to stay away from the first team for the rest of the season. The Guardian says he is heavily involved in the hunt for a replacement for Moyes and that has led to growing unease behind the scenes.
When asked if Steidten's presence this season has proved a challenge, Moyes stated: "Not at all, not at all. I've said before, Tim has his job to do but managers have their boundaries.
"We don't want any distractions, we'll keep our eye on the ball. Tim's got his job to do, I've got my job to do. We've got three games to play, so we want to keep focused on those games.
"We're going about our jobs. My job is to win the games and do everything I can to do that."
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