Julen Lopetegui has been sacked as manager of West Ham United just six months after taking charge of the Premier League club.
The Spaniard replaced David Moyes last July and the club spent around £140 million on new players ahead of the new season as they looked to build on the ninth-placed finish of the previous campaign.
He was tasked with bringing a more attacking style of play to the London Stadium after some fans grew frustrated with Moyes' pragmatic approach, even though the Scot led the club to a first trophy in 43 years when they won the Europa Conference League in 2023.
But Lopetegui struggled to win over Hammers fans as the team fell to a number of heavy defeats that included miserable performances against London rivals Chelsea (3-0), Tottenham Hotspur (4-1) and Arsenal (5-2).
The 58-year-old was reported to be close to the sack before the home game against Wolves on December 9 but a 2-1 win turned out to be the start of a four-game unbeaten run that was West Ham's best of the season so far.
But successive humiliating defeats against Liverpool (5-0) and Manchester City (4-1) were Lopetegui's final games in charge and he leaves with the team in 14th place, seven points above the relegation zone.
Lopetegui took training as usual on Tuesday – ahead of Friday's FA Cup third-round tie at Aston Villa – but West Ham cancelled Wednesday's scheduled press conference with widespread reports saying that the former Real Madrid and Wolves coach would soon be heading for the London Stadium exit.
And, after managing just six wins in 20 league matches, the club announced his sacking hours later. Assistant manager Pablo Sanz, head of performance Oscar Caro, head analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, fitness coach Borja De Alba and technical coach Edu Rubio also left the club with immediate effect.
The Hammers are expected to name former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter as the Spaniard's replacement in the next 24 hours.
Reports in the UK media on Tuesday night suggest that talks with Potter are at an advanced stage, with a few contract details still to be ironed out.
Former Ostersund and Swansea City coach Potter has not held a managerial role since he was sacked after less than seven months into a five-year contract at Chelsea in April 2023.
“The first half of the 2024/25 season has not aligned with the club’s ambitions and the club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives,” West Ham said in a statement.
“The board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future.
“The process of appointing a replacement is under way. The club will be making no further comment at this time.”
Lopetegui is the fifth Premier League manager to lose his job this season, following the sackings of Erik ten Hag (at Manchester United), Steve Cooper (Leicester City), Gary O'Neil (Wolves) and Russell Martin (Southampton).
Technical director Tim Steidten, who is understood to have advocated appointing Potter in the summer, has been staying away from the training ground amid reports of tension between him and Lopetegui.
West Ham say the German, 45, is focusing on the January transfer window, which opened last week.
The club are looking at potential striking options with Jarrod Bowen out for six weeks with a fractured foot and Michail Antonio facing a long road back after he was injured in a car accident last month.
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
THE SPECS
Aston Martin Rapide AMR
Engine: 6.0-litre V12
Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic
Power: 595bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh999,563
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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CREW
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
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- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
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SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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