After Mo Kudus’ incredible loss of control against Tottenham, one journalist has suggested it will get Julen Lopetegui the sack by West Ham.
The Ghanaian’s sending off means that he will now miss the next three games for the Hammers, two of which are against teams in Everton and Man United that are there for the taking.
There have already been reports given a breakdown on how many games Lopetegui has to save his position at the London Stadium.
Kudus’ sending off might have repercussions for Lopetegui
His players certainly appear to be surprised by some of his decisions, and this might go some way to explaining Kudus’ frustration against Spurs.
Writing for iSport, Kat Lucas certainly didn’t hold back.
“There is no point sugar-coating it – with his ludicrous behaviour right at the death, Mohammed Kudus may as well have marched Julen Lopetegui to the job centre,” she wrote.
“[…] Lopetegui’s advocates will point to this being a transitional phase post-Moyes, but it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when just about everything that could go wrong did.”
It’s difficult to disagree, as things seem to be going from bad to worse for the Spaniard. Indeed, a season that promised so much has already disintegrated before our eyes.
At present, the Hammers find themselves in 15th position with only two wins from eight games.
Their confidence appears shot to pieces, and if the East Londoners aren’t able to get any more points on the board in the next couple of weeks, it could see Lopetegui relieved of his duties.
That would at least give any new man in charge the chance to tweak certain areas ahead of what could be another busy transfer window for the club.
Lopetegui still does have time to turn things around, however, but he’ll need to do so immediately.