It’s still between Ruben Amorim and Julen Lopetegui for the West Ham job but it all hinges on one big decision from one man.
Reading reports in the last 24 hours or so it seems a matter of time until Julen Lopetegui is named successor to David Moyes at West Ham.
A managerial shortlist which reached a whopping 15 names seemingly whittled down to one in the space of a week by – we are told – West Ham majority owner David Sullivan and Tim Steidten.
But West Ham fans, by and large, are not happy about it. At all.
Poll results, protest petitions and a quick look at social media will tell you Lopetegui is not the forward-thinking, innovative manager Hammers fans have been craving.
West Ham not Lopetegui’s first choice or vice versa
Milan fans felt exactly the same way. Their club’s ownership listened to supporters and withdrew the contract offer to Lopetegui leaving him in ‘shock and disbelief’.
He was ready to join Milan and was apparently excited about taking over the famous Serie A giants.
That tells you West Ham are certainly not his first choice.
But neither is he West Ham’s if reports are to be believed.
Ruben Amorin flew to London last Monday for talks with the Hammers.
He has continued to be linked since, with claims Steidten and Mark Noble are very much pushing his candidacy.
Still between Amorim and Lopetegui but it hinges on this
Sullivan – we are led to believe – wants Lopetegui after being ‘won over’ by him in talks.
If West Ham are hoping to see a spike in season ticket renewals when they announce their new manager at the end of the season they will likely get a nasty surprise if it is Lopetegui.
By the same token would a proper West Ham fan really base their support of the team on who is the manager?
West Ham fans were totally united when it looked like Amorim might be the man to take over from Moyes.
£12.8m – the price of ambition
It’s a rare thing which the owners should be embracing. The goodwill and excitement towards the Portuguese would breathe new life into the club.
Instead the slightest whiff of a run of poor form or boring football under Lopetegui and he will be under immense pressure straight away.
The good news is sources have told Hammers News it is not over yet for West Ham’s Amorim hopes.
It’s still between Amorim and Lopetegui for West Ham but it all hinges on one big decision.
Can Sullivan – who quite simply hates paying any sort of compensation for managers – be persuaded by Noble and Steidten to ditch the habit of a lifetime, show some real ambition and pay Sporting £12.8m to meet Amorim’s release clause?
Can duo get Sullivan to break habit of a lifetime?
It is commonplace in the modern game for owners to pay release clauses for managers.
But in fairness to West Ham they are rarely as steep as this £12.8m fee.
And it is not just the £12.8m Sullivan will be hesitating about. Wages of around £8-10m per season mean if it doesn’t work out, this could be an expensive exercise.
That’s where Sullivan must trust Steidten and Noble’s judgement. At the end of the day West Ham have frittered away millions more on some mediocre players under Sullivan’s tenure only to watch them flop.
Amorim would cost West Ham less than Maxwel Cornet. So why not go for it?
Why not excite and unite the fans?
Why bring pressure on yourself by appointing a manager most don’t want. All for the sake of saving £12.8m.
West Ham will announce record £368m turnover in their latest accounts.
Yes there is a major rebuild required on the playing staff this summer. But £12.8m is not going to break the bank.
It all hinges on Steidten and Noble now.
Can they shut out the noise from agent Will Salthouse and get through to Sullivan to give Sporting what they want – in order to get West Ham fans the man they want.