Julen Lopetegui is back on the ropes at West Ham and a manager linked with the club just a few weeks ago wants a Premier League return.
West Ham elected to stick by Julen Lopetegui during the November international break.
No less than 12 different managers were linked with the Hammers during the break.
Majority owner David Sullivan felt vindicated for his patience when West Ham pulled off a surprise 2-0 win at Newcastle.
But the Hammers board wanted to see evidence that result and performance was not a one off.
A shambolic 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal suggests it very much was.
Now West Ham’s owners have issued Lopetegui a new ultimatum.
Make no mistake the next two games are huge for the Spaniard.
A trip to Leicester awaits on Tuesday night followed by a home game against fellow strugglers Wolves.
Wins are expected in both.
Leicester will be playing their first game under new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Lopetegui on the ropes again at West Ham
Ironically, the Dutchman was actually one of the many managers linked with West Ham during the international break.
The likes of Edin Terzic were also said to have been put on standby to replace Lopetegui.
A European football expert claimed in midweek that former Juve boss Max Allegri is being primed for the West Ham job after it was revealed he is taking intensive English lessons in London.
Could another manager who has a style of football named after him be coming up on the rails, though?
A Europa League-winning boss linked with West Ham says he wants a Premier League return with Lopetegui on the ropes.
The vast majority of West Ham fans were completely underwhelmed by the appointment of Lopetegui as David Moyes’ replacement.
There has been nothing to change their minds on the pitch since.
One man who certainly plays a brand of football that will excite West Ham’s supporters is Maurizio Sarri.
Back in April it was reported the Hammers wanted Sarri with the ex Chelsea boss having been in their sights for the best part of a year.
The former Napoli manager is famed for playing ‘Liquid Ball’ also referred to as ‘Sarri Ball’.
Reports at the time claimed Sarri was ‘seriously considering’ the West Ham offer.
In the end, though, West Ham admitted they ‘played it safe’ with the appointment of Lopetegui.
When Lopetegui was under mounting pressure ahead of the international break, CalciomercatoWeb said Sarri was once again a serious option for West Ham.
With the Hammers boss said to be teetering on the brink again, though, Sarri has now spoken for the first time since that alleged Hammers job offer.
Sarri has told The Sun he wants to return to the Premier League.
And the Italian tactician believes he can be the man to reinvigorate a team where players are not performing to their maximum potential.
West Ham-linked Sarri wants Premier League return
“I managed at the top level. We won the Scudetta with Juve but it is not the same as the Premier League,” Sarri said.
“England is the top level for players, for teams, for clubs, for stadiums, for fans. For everything. So I’d like to come back.
“If I had a team and had the opportunity to be the coach of a team at the same level I think that I could do even better.
“It is very important to get 101 percent from your team. This is more important than winning a cup, a trophy, or the Premier League.
“To get 101 percent from the players, the team as a whole. It is better than winning. Real Madrid can win with 98 per cent of the potential of the team. The real win is getting 101 per cent of the potential.
“I wanted to leave Chelsea – but only because of a particular situation. Not because of England.
“I want to be a coach again.”
These comments are hugely significant.
What would Sarri-ball look like at West Ham?
Sarri was heavily linked with the Hammers and even had a job offer if reports are to be believed.
So for him to say he wants to come back to the Premier League, with Lopetegui the manager looking the most likely to be sacked, is interesting timing to say the least.
What would Sarri bring to West Ham?
The Hammers committed over £155m to new signings in the summer and the rebuild hasn’t worked.
It’s far easier to change a manager than half a squad of players.
But given the new arrivals and quality already at the club, it could make perfect sense to bring in a manager like Sarri – who has a completely different philosophy to Moyes and Lopetegui – at this time.
He absolutely revolutionised the way Napoli played between 2015 and 2018. In fact he transformed the club into title contenders. And his work very much laid the foundations for Napoli’s first Scudetto in 33 years.
Sarri is known for his tactical intelligence and meticulous approach in preparing for matches.
One of his big influences as a coach is the legendary Arrigo Sacchi.
Sarri’s teams play an attractive, exciting and attack-minded brand of football based on retaining possession.
But don’t be fooled – it’s not the boring sideways football served up by most Pep Guardiola disciples nowadays.
West Ham’s play under him would be heavily focused on movement off the ball, quick, short passes on the ground but very much going forwards.
His style has been coined “Sarri-ball” or “Liquid Ball” in the media and is also described “vertical tiki-taka”.
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