West Ham United have cancelled Julen Lopetegui's scheduled press conference today (Wednesday), with Graham Potter expected to replace the Spaniard as manager at the London Stadium, according to multiple reports.
Earlier this week, it was claimed that the Hammers had made the decision to replace the 58-year-old, who then abandoned plans to hold a 'bonding meal' with his squad on Tuesday night, as reported by The Telegraph.
Lopetegui took charge of first-team training on Tuesday and arrived at West Ham's Rush Green training ground on Wednesday to resume coaching duties, but West Ham have now cancelled his scheduled press conference at 1.15pm today ahead of Friday's FA Cup third-round trip to Aston Villa.
According to Sky Sports News, the decision to cancel Lopetegui's pre-match media duties has made it clear that West Ham will be dispensing with the Spaniard's services imminently, presumably after Wednesday's training session.
Ex-Chelsea boss Potter has been lined up as Lopetegui's replacement and the 49-year-old is expected to sign a two-and-a-half-year contract as the new West Ham manager after a positive round of talks.
Confirmation of Potter's arrival is said to be imminent and could be announced within the next 24 hours, although it remains uncertain as to whether he would be ready to take charge of his first game at Villa on Friday.
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Why are West Ham replacing Lopetegui with Potter?
Lopetegui only arrived at the London Stadium in July following West Ham's decision to part ways with David Moyes at the end of last season.
The Hammers hoped that the former Spain, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Porto and Wolves boss could steer the club towards a return to Europe after forking out over £120m on nine new players, but he has struggled to make the desired impact and animosity from some supporters has grown.
Lopetegui has won six, drawn five and lost nine of his 20 Premier League games in charge of West Ham, who have lost their last two fixtures by an aggregate score of 9-1 to Liverpool and Manchester City, leaving them languishing in 14th place in the table and 10 points behind the top seven.
Seeking a swift upturn in fortunes, West Ham are now set to put their trust in Potter, who has been out of work since April 2023 when he was sacked by Chelsea after less than seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge.
He previously spent three seasons in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion, guiding them to 15th, 16th and ninth-placed finishes in the Premier League.
Potter, who turned down offers to manage Ajax and Lyon in 2023, has also been linked with the Everton job this week amid suggestions that the Toffees' new owners - the Friedkin Group - are assessing the future of current manager Sean Dyche following a run of just one win in his last 11 league games.
Oliver Thomas
