Paul Merson believes that Julen Lopetegui will now be seriously “up against it” as he tipped Brentford to beat West Ham United this weekend.

The Hammers have had a lacklustre season thus far and find themselves fourteenth in the Premier League, just three points away from the relegation zone.

Their last two fixtures against both Liverpool and Chelsea have resulted in thrashings for the Hammers and if things don’t turn around soon, the club could find themselves in a spot of bother.

Speaking live on Sky Sports News (26 September, 16:27pm), Merson shared his verdict on the future of Lopetegui as West Ham manager.

“They’re in trouble. This is one of the most talented squads West Ham have had for years. They need to learn how to defend,” he said.

“They’ve got Brentford this weekend and I can see Brentford winning that, if they do, [Lopetegui’s] right up against it.

“If Moyes was under pressure with the side in Europe and winning a trophy, this guy will be under severe pressure. It’s early days but this is the Premier League and you don’t mess about.”

Julen Lopetegui needs West Ham United back to winning ways

The fact that the Hammers had a solid transfer window feels as if it means nothing at this moment in time.

While most Premier League clubs just decided to add one or two players to their ranks, the Hammers had a massive overhaul of their players and could field a new-look team if they wished to do so.

Not all of the Spaniard’s summer arrivals have managed to make it into the side just yet, with some still needing to be integrated.

However, as the likes of Konstantinos Mavropanos haven’t playing to a very high level, with Andy Gray even in disbelief after what he saw the Greek international do against Chelsea, it feels as if it’s only a matter of time until someone such as Jean Clair-Todibo gets thrown into the mix.

Should the Hammers continue losing and slowly start creeping towards the Premier League relegation zone, the pressure on Lopetegui’s head will increase [Fabrizio Romano, 26 September] and perhaps even lead to him being sacked early on into his tenure.

In other West Ham news, Jamie Carragher has been angered by Darwin Nunez after what he did against the Hammers.

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