Julen Lopetegui sack: West Ham compensation news emerges. West Ham will have to pay Julen Lopetegui compensation of £3.3million if they make the decision to sack him, according to The Daily Mirror.
Matt Hughes reported in the newspaper’s print edition (8 January, page 57) that the Hammers would be required to pay a 12-month compensation clause equal to a year’s salary to terminate his two-year contract early.
It is also reported that hiring a replacement manager until the end of the season will cost another £2million before bonuses, with that figure rising if the Irons go for a manager who is currently in another job.
West Ham set to part ways with Julen Lopetegui
Lopetegui has struggled to get going with West Ham this season and although David Sullivan has stood by his appointment so far, the end of the road seems inevitable for the Spaniard now.
The Hammers chief is not someone who is typically keen to part managers mid-season, which probably helps to explain why a decision to appoint a new manager has not been made sooner and why Lopetegui has managed to keep staving off the inevitable.
The Times reported (7 January) that Graham Potter is the frontrunner to take over at The London Stadium with negotiations between the club hierarchy and the former Chelsea boss taking place over a length of contract.
Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror claims that Paulo Fonesca has also been in discussions with the Hammers about the vacancy.
It makes sense to see the decision made to opt for a manager who is currently out of work given this cost West Ham less money in what will be an expensive choice to be made.
Sullivan will not be pleased with how things have turned out but making the move now before his potential candidates are snapped up by vacancies elsewhere should keep this as low cost as possible.
In other West Ham news, the stance of the Hammers has been shared if they don’t manage to land Potter.
