Is Julen Lopetegui preparing for his final game as West Ham manager tonight against Wolves?
West Ham have been on the verge of pushing the panic button and sacking manager Julen Lopetegui in response to last week's 3-1 defeat against Leicester in the Premier League.
The result left the Hammers 14th in the table having lost seven of their 14 matches and conceded 28 goals - only Leicester, Wolves, Southampton and now Brentford have leaked more.
Going into the Leicester match, West Ham's record against the bottom half was putting a more respectable slant on their league position.
They had won four and lost two against teams placed 10th and below, while they have taken just a single point from seven matches against the league’s top nine.
Most of the bookmakers across the oddschecker grid suspended betting on the 'Next Manager to be Sacked' market last Wednesday as rumours of Lopetegui's impending exit gathered pace.
However, he remains part of an intriguing sack race going into the Monday Night Football West Ham vs Wolves - billed by the media as 'El Sackico' given Gary O'Neil's own precarious position at Wolves.
Let's look at the latest next West Ham manager odds priced up by BetMGM and BetVictor.
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Who is the favourite to be the next West Ham manager?
The favourite with the bookmakers to succeed Julen Lopetegui as West Ham manager remains former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter.
Potter has been a staple of next manager markets in the Premier League since he left Stamford Bridge in April 2023 and has reportedly turned down several opportunities.
3/1 odds on BetMGM suggests it's 25% likely that West Ham is his route back into the big time, but he is now 2/5 on BetVictor (71% chance).
The remainder of the top four in the next West Ham manager odds market are also out of work – Edin Terzic left Dortmund less than two weeks after their Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid, Sergio Conceicao was with Porto until June of this year and Kasper Hjulmand left the Danish national team after their Euros exit.
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Terzic (6/1) is believed to have already held talks with West Ham's Sporting director Tim Steidten, who advised owner David Sullivan not to appoint Lopetegui.
Steidten is said to be a particular fan of Conceicao (6/1), who left Porto in June after seven years in charge having won more than 70% of his matches. He won the league three times (most recently in 2021/22), as well as four Taça de Portugal titles including the last three seasons and the Taça da Liga in 2022/23.
Hjulmand (10/1 on BetMGM but 7/2 on BetVictor) spent the bulk of his club managerial career with Nordsjælland, winning the 2011/12 Danish Superliga in the first of two spells with the club spanning more than six years. He had been with the national team since August 2020, taking his country to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 (held a year late).
Outside of the top three contenders, among the other options being explored by the West Ham board are Michael Carrick (16/1) and Massimiliano Allegri (25/1).
Carrick, who has been in charge at Middlesbrough for more than two years and won more than 50% of his matches, is priced at 2/1 on BetMGM and 16/1 on BetVictor.
He won 16 of his first 23 games en route to a 4th place finish in 2022/23 before losing in the playoff semi-finals to Coventry. His team reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup last year but finished 8th in the Championship.
The 57-year-old Allegri, meanwhile, was spotted in London last week watching Tottenham vs Roma in the Europa League. He has won six Serie A titles (one with Milan and five with Juventus) and five Coppa Italia championships (all Juventus), along with taking the Old Lady to two Champions League final appearances (2015 and 2017).
Next West Ham Manager Odds
| Next West Ham Manager | Best Odds | Worst Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Graham Potter | 3/1 | 2/5 |
| Edin Terzic | 6/1 | 5/1 |
| Sergio Conceicao | 6/1 | 2/1 |
| Kasper Hjulmand | 10/1 | 7/2 |
| Michael Carrick | 16/1 | 2/1 |
