West Ham may finally get a top quality striker to unlock their goalscoring potential but it could be as their next manager instead.
It is often said there is no smoke without fire.
If that’s true then Julen Lopetegui is clearly in big trouble at West Ham.
The pressure on the Spaniard hit new levels after the dismal stalemate with Everton at the weekend.
West Ham’s owners have – on more than one occasion – made it clear performances must improve.
But, if anything, what the Hammers served up against the lowly Toffees felt like a new low, despite the point.
West Ham started the season with aims to get back into Europe.
Approaching a third of the way through the campaign – after a £155m spend added to the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, Edson Alvarez and Alphonse Areola – they sit 14th in the Premier League table.
In fact Lopetegui’s side are closer to the bottom than the top six.
Worryingly, should the Hammers suffer heavy defeats against Newcastle and Arsenal in their next two games – as many expect – they could even find themselves in the bottom three going into the busy Christmas period.
The situation is looking increasingly bleak for the Spaniard.
With just three wins under his belt in the Premier League so far, fans and players are unconvinced.
A lack of identity or clear sign of what Lopetegui is trying to achieve with the team has raised red flags. On the terraces and in the boardroom.
One journalist claimed Lopetegui was the happiest he has been all season when discussing getting away from West Ham for a break in Spain.
He reportedly flew back home in the misguided belief his job as Hammers boss is safe.
A plethora of managers have been linked as potential replacements.
But one particular outsider seems to be coming up on the rails according to new claims.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is now a ‘serious contender’ for the West Ham job with Lopetegui ‘on the brink of the sack’.
Van Nistelrooy now a ‘serious contender’ for West Ham
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs.
Speaking on a podcast this week, Wyness claims “close sources at West Ham” have told him Lopetegui’s job is under immediate threat.
So much so he may even be sacked during the international break.
At the same time a journalist at The i News says there is ‘no guarantee Lopetegui survives the international break’.
And he claims Van Nistelrooy is now a serious consideration for West Ham’s owners.
talkSPORT mooted the prospect of Van Nistelrooy replacing Lopetegui earlier this week.
That was after the Dutchman departed Man United following four games as interim boss.
He is making way for ex West Ham target Ruben Amorim and now inews’ Michael Hincks says he could rather ironically head to the London Stadium.
“The more I wrote about where next for Ruud van Nistelrooy, the more RvN to West Ham made sense,” Hincks states.
“Plenty to prove, but the Man United stint was a timely cameo and he could lift the mood at West Ham…
“Like a true fox in the box, Van Nistelrooy has emerged seemingly from nowhere and placed himself in the shop window for Premier League clubs considering their options during this international break and in the months to come.”
Hincks goes on to say Lopetegui may be gone by the time West Ham face Newcastle.
Lopetegui said to be ‘on brink’ at West Ham
And he believes of the four or five clubs who could soon be in the market for a new manager, West Ham is the best fit for Van Nistelrooy.
“The fact it could happen soon is why it makes even more sense, and in true Van Nistelrooy fashion, the Premier League club that pulls the trigger first could view the Dutchman as an easy tap-in,” he adds.
“He was much more than that as a player, of course, but managerially speaking he now poses as an enticing option, and the more time spent deliberating the possibilities, the more West Ham feels like the ideal fit.
“Ten years Lopetegui’s junior, Van Nistelrooy could be the rude awakening that West Ham need. Yes, the headlines write themselves.”
What seems the most likely scenario is that Lopetegui has the next two games to prove he can turn things around.
That would require shock a result or two. First against an in-form Newcastle, away from home and on a Monday night.
It’s a Magpies side who have beaten Forest 3-1, Arsenal 1-0 and Chelsea 2-0 in their last three games.
Then would come Arsenal at home. The title-chasing team with ground to make up who beat West Ham 6-0 at the London Stadium back in February.
West Ham’s Ruud awakening?
Getting their striker signings right has been an issue for West Ham for years.
Van Nistelrooy would be seen as a left-field pick for David Sullivan.
But finally bringing in a top striker – but as their new manager – may ironically finally solve their problems.
Because in a total of 13 months as boss at PSV and now Man United, Van Nistelrooy had 55 games in charge.
He has enjoyed a fantastic win ratio of 65 per cent with 36 victories, 11 draws and eight defeats.
Most astonishing, though, is how attacking Van Nistelrooy’s sides have been.
They’ve scored a whopping 137 goals in his 55 games as a manager in 13 months of football at two top clubs.
That’s 2.5 goal per game.
If that doesn’t get the juices flowing for yawning fans who left West Ham’s latest game early yet again, nothing will.
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