West Ham: Julen Lopetegui defiant on future ahead of 'make-or-break' Newcastle and Arsenal clashes | OneFootball

The Hammers are said to have begun exploring potential replacements for Lopetegui

Julen Lopetegui has insisted that he is paying no attention to speculation surrounding his West Ham future amid reports he is facing two make-or-break games

There was cause for optimism in the summer after the Spaniard was appointed as the successor to David Moyes.

Backed heavily in the transfer market with an £150million+ outlay to bolster the squad with the additions of Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug and Jean-Clair Todibo.

The Hammers have won just three of their opening 11 Premier League games - two of which have been against teams below them in the table - and are only five points above the relegation zone heading into this weekend's fixtures.

With a trip to Newcastle United and a home London derby against Arsenal on the horizon for West Ham, reports claim Lopetegui has these two games to save his job as the club are said to have used the international break to explore potential replacements.

Furthermore, the Guardian state that although the club are clinging on to the hope the Spaniard can turn things situation around, belief in the manager is fading and defeats in those aforementioned matches are likely to have serious ramifications for the 58-year-old.

Struggling: Julen Lopetegui has overseen three Premier League wins this season.

John Walton/PA Wire

However, Lopetegui came out fighting at his pre-match press conference on Friday. Responding to a question about dealing with pressure he stressed the team should be judged come the end of the season.

"I don't listen or read about what is said, I prefer to work hard. We put all of our focus on what we can control, and that's working hard and trying to improve,” he insisted.

“The season ends in May, so let's see how we're doing then rather than in November.

“The only thing I'm focused on now is going to Newcastle on Monday, and trying to get a good result in a tough game.”

It should be noted that David Sullivan, West Ham’s largest shareholder, has been reluctant to make a managerial change mid-season.

However, the Guardian have reported that Sullivan could perform a u-turn as alarm over the performances under Lopetegui is growing with the club looking at the former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic, and making internal checks on former Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand, former Benfica coach Roger Schmidt and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness.