Middlesbrough boost as West Ham’s list of Julen Lopetegui replacements revealed
Middlesbrough boost as West Ham’s list of Julen Lopetegui replacements revealed
Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick is not on a reported list of candidates to replace Julen Lopetegui at West Ham United, in a boost for the Teessiders.
The Guardian have provided the latest update on the Irons’ managerial situation – with Sérgio Conceição and Max Allegri named as contenders while Graham Potter is seen as someone that could come into the offing – while Christophe Galtier has been considered previously.
Carrick, a former Hammers player, has been linked in the past and was touted as a potential option last month by talkSPORT’s Tony Cascarino.
Lopetegui is believed to be under increasing pressure following his side’s heavy 5-2 defeat against Arsenal last weekend and this has seen the East London club identify potential replacements.
It was previously reported that games against Newcastle United and the Gunners were likely to have a big say in whether he was going to remain in place.
Securing a 2-0 away win at St James’ Park, that provided Lopetegui with a much-needed boost, a poor result against Mikel Arteta’s side has been a real setback for him.
The Irons conceded all five of their goals against the Gunners in the first half – and thankfully for the former’s boss – the hosts managed to keep a clean sheet in the second half.
Even though they didn’t concede in the second half, the West Ham boss is clearly someone who is under the cosh, having failed to live up to expectations so far.
The board invested a considerable amount of money into the squad during the summer transfer window – but they aren’t seeing positive results come from that so far – and it may only be a matter of time before a change is made in the dugout.
West Ham update on Michael Carrick revealed
Porto boss Conceição and former Juventus manager Allegri are reported to be candidates for the job, with The Guardian also reporting that ex-Chelsea’s Potter could potentially come into West Ham’s thinking.
Kasper Hjulmand, Roger Schmidt and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness are three other names in the frame, but they are yet to advance their interest in Edin Terzic, who was previously Borussia Dortmund’s head coach.
One man who isn’t named in this report is Carrick, who was previously touted for the job, but seemingly isn’t a consideration for top officials at the London Stadium at this point.
Inconsistency has held Carrick back at Boro since their top-six finish at the end of the 2022/23 season, but the Teesside outfit have been mightily impressive at times this season and would ideally want to keep the former Manchester United midfielder in place.
West Ham update is a boost for Middlesbrough
As mentioned in the previous section, Boro have been inconsistent at times in terms of their results, and this has been a big frustration for them.
But when they are on top form, they are almost unstoppable, and their performance away at Oxford United was something to be proud of.
The likes of Finn Azaz and Emmanuel Latte Lath have thrived under Carrick at times, and the manager is doing a decent job at the Riverside at this stage.
Losing the former England international would be painful – because he has been able to achieve some success on Teesside.
Though he is replaceable, there’s stability at Boro right now and Carrick is doing a good enough job to retain his role at the club.
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