West Ham will reassess Julen Lopetegui's position if they suffer a home defeat against Everton on Saturday. Despite the hope that the manager will turn things around, he faces mounting pressure following a poor start to the season, and another setback could leave him on the brink. There have been conflicting signals about Lopetegui's immediate future, and earlier this week, it was believed that the Everton match was not considered a do-or-die situation. David Sullivan, West Ham's majority shareholder, has a history of supporting his managers. However, the club is deeply concerned about being just six points above the relegation zone after last weekend's loss to Nottingham Forest. It is thought that another defeat would prompt West Ham to use the international break to identify both short-term and long-term replacements.
A potential challenge for West Ham is the lack of clear alternatives to Lopetegui, who has struggled to implement his style of play since replacing David Moyes in the summer. The club has previously shown lukewarm interest in Graham Potter, the former Chelsea manager, and it remains unclear how much they are considering Edin Terzic, the former Borussia Dortmund manager. Both Terzic and Potter are currently without a job. West Ham, who overlooked Hansi Flick and Paulo Fonseca when appointing Lopetegui, are believed to have conducted background checks on Sebastian Hoeness, Kasper Hjulmand, and Roger Schmidt. Hoeness is considered an unrealistic target given Stuttgart's Champions League status. However, the fact that internal analysis is being done indicates that Lopetegui needs a win against Everton, who are two points behind West Ham.
Attention has also turned to technical director Tim Steidten following West Ham's transfer activities. The club spent over £100m on signings last summer but has yet to see a return on their investment. West Ham's defensive struggles, predictable attacking play, and discipline issues have been highlighted. Edson Álvarez, the Mexico midfielder, received his second red card of the season against Forest, and Mohammed Kudus will be suspended until December after receiving an additional two-match ban for his behavior during last month's 4-1 defeat by Tottenham. Kudus missed the Forest and Manchester United games due to an initial three-match suspension but was due to return after the Everton match. However, he has now been given an extra punishment and fined £60,000 for clashing with Micky van de Ven and Richarlison.
Kudus will miss the trip to Newcastle on November 25 and the home game against Arsenal on November 30 and will not be available until West Ham's visit to Leicester on December 3. West Ham have been fined £30,000 for failing to control their players. Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca has admitted that Cole Palmer is a doubt for Chelsea's game at home to Arsenal on Sunday. The attacking midfielder was injured by a poor challenge from Lisandro Martínez during Chelsea's draw with United and has yet to train this week.
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