West Ham target six signings to kickstart Julen Lopetegui era
West Ham will target as many as six signings this summer as they look to give Julen Lopetegui major backing at the start of the club’s new era.
Lopetegui has agreed a deal to take over at the London Stadium when David Moyes leaves at the end of the season, though no formal announcement is expected until after his final game.
The Spaniard’s arrival will see the Hammers continue their shift towards a European-style leadership structure, with technical director Tim Steidten to be given increased power to lead on transfers.
Steidten arrived at the club last summer but there have been tensions between him and Moyes behind the scenes, including over transfer targets. Last week, the German was asked to stay away from the first-team squad for the remainder of the campaign while conducting the search for a new manager.
In consultation with Lopetegui, Steidten is set to lead a significant overhaul of the first-team squad, with a centre-forward, right-back and at least one new centre-half understood to be top of the agenda.
There are currently four senior centre-backs on the books, but Angelo Ogbonna is due to be out of contract, while the club will listen to offers for Nayef Aguerd amid interest from Saudi Arabia. Kurt Zouma and Konstantinos Mavropanos have emerged has the first-choice centre-back pair but the Hammers have not kept a clean sheet in 16 league matches and there is acceptance that an ageing backline must be revamped.
There is interest in Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, who will become a free agent this summer, and the club have previously considered Wolves captain Max Kilman, who worked under Lopetegui at Molineux.
West Ham will be forced to target homegrown talent or else risk falling foul of Premier League regulations, which limit clubs to a maximum of 17 non-qualified player in their squads.
Of the current homegrown crop, Kalvin Phillips’s loan spell is about to end, Danny Ings could be sold and both Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell are out of contract.
Johnson is expected to leave his boyhood club, but there is a desire to keep Cresswell’s experience within the dressing room and he may yet be handed an extension having been a transfer target for Lopetegui at Wolves.
West Ham are exploring a number of options in the Championship. They have been linked with Coventry winger Callum O’Hare and Hull centre-back Jacob Greaves, having considered moves for Sunderland’s Jack Clarke and Norwich’s Jonathan Rowe in January.
Tim Steidten is set to lead a significant overhaul in the post-David Moyes era at West Ham (Getty Images)
Midfielders Flynn Downes and Freddie Potts will return from their respective loan spells at Southampton and Wycombe and will be given chance to impress in preseason, though Downes could become a permanent target for Saints should they win promotion through the Championship playoffs.
However, the arrival of Lopetegui is not expected to change plans for Said Benrahma and Thilo Kehrer to make their January loan exits permanent.
While West Ham’s downturn since the New Year means they will not have European football to contend with next term, there is still concern as the extent to which a lack of depth has been exposed this season.
As such, Lopetegui will be provided with significant funds to strengthen. West Ham’s Financial Fair Play position is improved compared to January because the British transfer record £105million paid by Arsenal for Declan Rice last summer will come into play in the next accounting cycle.
There could also be another windfall this summer should Manchester City activate Lucas Paqueta’s £85m release clause, though the Brazilian is by no means certain to leave, with all parties still in the dark over when an FA investigation into alleged betting breaches will be resolved.
Meanwhile, the Hammers will confirm details of their preseason tour this week, with games against Wolves and Crystal Palace to be played in Jacksonville and Tampa, meaning an immediate reunion for Lopetegui with his former club.
The Irons are keen to make a belated push into the US market in an attempt to build on a reputation enhanced by their European success.
Last year, the club toured Australia, but did so without a large part of their first-team squad due to international commitments, while Moyes had generally preferred to stay closer to home for preseason.
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