West Ham 'make decision on sacking Julen Lopetegui' after brutal Liverpool hammering

Julen Lopetegui is fighting for his job at West Ham. (Image: Getty.)

Julen Lopetegui’s position as West Ham head coach will reportedly be determined by their FA Cup third-round tie away to Aston Villa, after a concerning first half of the season.

West Ham were mauled 5-0 at home by Liverpool on Sunday, with Lopetegui’s outfit booed by the home fans inside the London Stadium, prompting further speculation over the head coach’s future.

The Hammers currently sit 13th in the Premier League table, and in a worse position than David Moyes had the club at the same stage last season, before he departed at the end of the campaign.

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TalkSPORT claim that if West Ham exit the FA Cup at Villa Park on January 10, after they travel to Manchester City in the opening match of their 2025 on Saturday, Lopetegui's position will be viewed as untenable.

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Former Chelsea, Brighton and Swansea boss Graham Potter has been described as 'waiting in the wings' and would be open to a short-term appointment until the end of the season.

But chairman David Sullivan currently remains reluctant to sack Lopetegui while the club are in mid-table and the FA Cup, despite their concerning run of form.

A dismayed Julen Lopetegui on the West Ham touchline. (Image: Getty) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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It is not the first time that Lopetegui's position has been under scrutiny, having managed the match against Wolves earlier this month which was described as 'El Sackico'.

Gary O'Neil lost his job later, having been beaten by West Ham, but once again Lopetegui is facing calls to lose his job.

West Ham were on a four-match unbeaten run starting with the 2-1 victory over Wolves, drawing with Brighton and Bournemouth before winning away to bottom side Southampton.

But the disappointing nature of their thrashing against Liverpool, which saw the visitors out of sight at half-time, has renewed doubt that Lopetegui is the right man to lead the London side forward.

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Complicating matters further is internal discussions over potential January recruits, with those running recruitment unaware of which manager they would be bringing in players for.

And Lopetegui admitted that his side let down their home fans against Liverpool. “This has been a very disappointing day for us and our fans," the Spanish boss said. "We didn’t show a good face in front of our fans.

“We didn’t deserve any more today. We have to accept it. We have to look forward and to know we have things to improve in these kind of matches.

“We have to compete better in these matches and take advantage of the moments you have. We have been very far off them today. We were doing well in the last month but today was a tough day for us, we have to be honest. Being 3-0 down to Liverpool at half-time is very difficult.”