Julen Lopetegui was reported involved in a ‘heated exchange’ with one of his own West Ham players (Image: Getty)
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui was reportedly involved in a ‘heated exchange’ with £35million summer signing Jean-Clair Todibo on Saturday. The spat came as the Hammers trailed 5-2 at the break in a dismal defeat at London Stadium.
The reportedly verbal dispute came as tore West Ham apart in a brutal first-half display. Fortunately for Lopetegui, the score did not get any worse but it was a heavy defeat that compounded a horrid start to the season.
A subsequent 3-1 loss at Leicester on Tuesday night leaves the Spaniard on the brink of the sack. West Ham are 14th in the with four wins and seven defeats from their first 14 matches.
According to the , Lopetegui and Todibo shared a ‘heated exchange’ at half-time on Saturday. However, it is claimed that the confrontation was not the reason for the defender’s exclusion from the squad which lost against Leicester.
Indeed, the 24-year-old went on to play the remainder of the game against . A groin injury meant that he missed the trip to the Midlands this week, and it had initially threatened to rule him out of the visit of the Gunners.
Lopetegui was already under pressure before West Ham headed to Leicester. A 2-0 away victory over on Monday, November 25 had provided signs that the former Real Madrid and Spain boss was close to turning a corner. However, his side have now suffered consecutive defeats.
Co-owner David Sullivan is known to show patience in under-pressure managers. He maintained faith in David Moyes through some particularly turbulent times in East London. But it is claimed that there are ‘internal doubts’ over whether the 58-year-old will remain in charge for games against his former club Wolves, and then Bournemouth.
The performance against Leicester prompted West Ham’s supporters to sing: “You’re getting sacked in the morning!”
Lopetegui was appointed in the summer to replace Moyes. West Ham spent around £120m replenishing the first team squad, with additions including Todibo, Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and the £40m Max Kilman.
“The only thing I’m worried about now is to go to tomorrow’s training session and encourage the players and prepare for the next challenge,” Lopetegui said of his future after the Leicester defeat.
“Normally, when you do what we did, you are going to win the match, but we didn’t do that and it’s hard to explain. It’s hard for the players, for us and for the fans.”
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