How much would it cost West Ham to sack Julen Lopetegui?

Tom Weber

• Updated: 19 Oct 2024 14:31 BST
• 3 min read

West Ham have to start seriously thinking about pulling the trigger on head coach Julen Lopetegui. But how much would it cost to sack him?

There was plenty of excitement in east London ahead of the new season. David Moyes was replaced by former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui in the West Ham dugout and €144 million was spent on new signings by highly-rated director Tim Steidten.

Lopetegui had flopped at Real Madrid, but the Hammers' new head coach - the first to bear that title rather than 'manager' - was coming off an encouraging spell at Wolves where his departure mere days before the 2023/24 season had been a major shock.

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However, the Spaniard's start to life in London has been much more reminiscent of his time in Madrid than Wolverhampton. West Ham have endured a dismal opening to the campaign and pressure on Lopetegui is mounting after a host of listless performances.

How much would it cost to sack Lopetegui?

There is no reliable data on Lopetegui's West Ham contract, with the Hammers having been tight-lipped on his deal when unveiling him in the summer.

However, it is thought that he is tied to the club for two years with a one-year extension potentially being triggered if the Premier League side qualify for Europe.

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It is also generally assumed that Lopetegui is earning €4 million per season over the duration of his contract, which is significantly less - less than half if reports are to be believed - of what he made at Wolves.

This means that if West Ham were to sack him already at the end of October 2024, they would have to pay out around €6.7m in guaranteed outstanding wages.