TalkSPORT understands Julen Lopetegui’s future at West Ham is likely to depend on the outcome of next week’s FA Cup third round tie at Aston Villa.
Lopetegui is under pressure again after Sunday’s 5-0 home defeat against Premier League leaders Liverpool.
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Despite ex-Chelsea coach Graham Potter being in the starting blocks for several weeks, Hammers chairman David Sullivan remains reluctant to sack the Spaniard.
However, the next two games, Saturday at champions Manchester City and the Villa Cup tie, are seen by many at the London Stadium as crucial for Lopetegui.
West Ham finished 9th last season and sit in the bottom half of the table, having won just six of Lopetegui’s 19 league games.
Chelsea are watching the Premier League duo
Chelsea are considering both Liam Delap and Evan Ferguson as potential new striker options.
The top-flight Blues are keen to strengthen their forward line to take the goalscoring burden off Nicolas Jackson.
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The Pitch Prospect has been told the Blues retain their long-term interest in Brighton and Republic of Ireland star Ferguson, 20, while Stamford Bridge scouts have kept tabs on Ipswich ace Delap on a number of occasions this season.
A deal for either player is likely to be difficult to make in January as Brighton continue to value Ferguson in the £80-100 million range despite him having scored just one goal in the Premier League
goal all season.
Delap, meanwhile, is seen as a key factor in Ipswich’s hopes of avoiding relegation, while old club Manchester City have a buyout option on his £20million summer move to Portman Road.
Saints on the march
Southampton could have both domestic loan spots available in January, with Maxwell Cornet AND Lesley Ugochukwu expected to be recalled by their parent clubs.
Between them, Cornet (one) and Ugochukwu (three) have played just four times in the Premier League since joining from West Ham and Chelsea respectively last summer.
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The Hammers plan to end Cornet’s loan spell in order to sell flop Ivorian permanently.
Chelsea also have reservations about Ugochukwu’s lack of playing time.
The Frenchman cost Chelsea more than £20 million but only moved to St Mary’s as a substitute when Saints striker Sekou Mara moved to the Blues’ sister club Strasbourg.
Spurs opt for a tried and tested approach
As Ange Postecoglou watched his injury-ravaged Tottenham team drop two more points at home to Wolves on Sunday, it was no coincidence that Fabio Paratici, the club’s former transfer guru, was watching from the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Paratici was forced to resign as Spurs’ sporting director in March 2023 after being banned from football for 30 months by FIFA for his role in financial irregularities at Juventus.
However, the Italian continued to advise Spurs on their transfer policy and played a major role in the signings of goalkeeper Vicario and James Maddison in particular.
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However, the Italian continued to advise Spurs on their transfer policy and played a major role in the signings of goalkeeper Vicario and James Maddison in particular.
Since Postecoglou urgently needs reinforcements, chairman Daniel Levy is expected to use Paratici’s contact book.
One player Paratici has already identified as a potential Spurs target is Torino midfielder Samuele Ricci.