Julen Lopetegui held extraordinary meeting with West Ham this week – and it cost him dearly. If you thought you might have heard it all when it comes to Julen Lopetegui and West Ham, think again after a new revelation.
Julen Lopetegui was fortunate to last as long as he did at West Ham. But it is fair to say that when the Spaniard was eventually sacked by West Ham, it was in rather controversial circumstances.
News leaked out of the Hammers boardroom that Lopetegui was set to be sacked.
But over 48 hours passed before West Ham’s owners actually did the deed.
Make no mistake, the axe had been coming for the 58-year-old. Labelled ‘Flopetegui’ by many fed up fans, the former Wolves boss had somehow survived a number of last chances in his short-lived West Ham reign.
Graham Potter had been placed on standby since that 3-1 defeat at Leicester at the start of December.
Lopetegui held extraordinary meeting with West Ham this week. But when it became clear Potter wouldn’t wait forever, the Hammers hierarchy decided to pull the trigger on Lopetegui.
Much was made of the fact Lopetegui had continued to take training despite knowing he was about to be handed his P45.
He also fell out with Tim Steidten as it all ended on a sour note before he was finally put out of his misery. West Ham were accused of handling the whole situation with a distinct lack of class.
Some cynics suggested West Ham dragged their heels on purpose to try and force Lopetegui to throw in the towel and therefore forfeit the near £5m compensation due to him.
It has since emerged Lopetegui made a very bizarre demand to West Ham’s board on his final day, forcing them to swiftly intervene. And it’s not the only strange request the owners have had from their the ex Spain manager.
Because Lopetegui held an extraordinary meeting with West Ham this week – and it cost him dearly.
Hammers talks cost Lopetegui dearly
Last week reports emerged that Lopetegui was set for a shock return to management after his West Ham sacking.
A Belgian journalist revealed Lopetegui was a two prime candidate to be the new Belgium manager.
Formerly ranked the best in the world by FIFA – and currently eighth in the standings – Belgium were looking for a new boss after sacking Domenico Tedesco.
It was even claimed Tedesco was shown the door in light of Lopetegui’s availability following his Hammers departure.
The prospect of an instant return to top level management would have been a sensational turnaround for Lopetegui. But as the shortlist was whittled down to him and one other, he called for a meeting with West Ham.
According to Belgian reporter Sacha Tavolieri, Lopetegui was granted a meeting with West Ham’s hierarchy this week.
The Spaniard wanted to ask West Ham if he could keep receiving his compensation money from the club if he were to take the Belgium job.
More money, more problems for Lopetegui over Belgium gig. An ‘amicable termination agreement’ was sought with West Ham over receiving his severance pay and the salary offered to be Belgium coach – where he would have earned around £600k per year, more than four times less than his £3.5m per year Hammers salary.
The process would have taken a long time and Belgium wanted to announce its new coach before January 31.
Lopetegui was told he could not have the best of both worlds.
Whether it was a case of Lopetegui then turning down the Red Devils as a result or not, Belgium decided to appoint Rudi Garcia instead, Tavolieri revealed.
❌🇪🇸 Prioritaire de départ dans l’idée de Vincent Mannaert avant d’opter pour Rudi Garcia, la Fédération Belge de Football n’est jamais parvenu à trouver la clé financière pour attirer Julen Lopetegui.
🇧🇪🗣️ Intéressé par le projet, Julen Lopetegui continuait d’être payé (comme… https://t.co/a3yY4ZwMr5 pic.twitter.com/CpU9zr3a64
— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) January 24, 2025
View Tweet
The Spaniard may live to regret those circumstances.
It would have been a good chance to restore his reputation with a quality side.
But now it seems he will have to wait until at least the summer to get another job.
