Julen Lopetegui has chance to silence doubters in new job at West Ham
Julen Lopetegui’s aim is to turn West Ham into contenders for Champions League qualification. Photograph: WHUFC
West Ham have been putting the succession plan in place for a while. Tim Steidten was not long into his job as the technical director when he went to David Sullivan, the co-owner, and suggested Julen Lopetegui as a potential replacement for David Moyes.
Contact was soon established, a video call with Sullivan last October giving Lopetegui an opportunity to develop a relationship with the key figure at the London Stadium. Moyes was already on borrowed time. Lopetegui was ready, unemployed and keen to work in the Premier League again. Although the job was not guaranteed to go to the Spaniard, there was a good chance that those early talks were going to result in him taking over from Moyes at the end of the season.
So it has proved. Lopetegui, whose aim is to turn West Ham into contenders for Champions League qualification, is in on a two-year deal. Rúben Amorim, the Sporting manager, said no. Hansi Flick was overlooked. A host of homegrown names were barely considered. When it came down to it, Sullivan kept veering towards Lopetegui as the right person to replace West Ham’s most successful manager of the Premier League era.
Some within the club urged Sullivan to think twice about going for the former Wolves manager. Disillusionment was also evident within the fanbase. Thirst for a change did not stop some fans from saying that the club would be better off keeping Moyes if they were not going to pay Amorim’s €15m (£13m) release clause. The theory is that Lopetegui, out of work since leaving Wolves last summer, was the cheap option. For all the 57-year-old’s qualities as a coach, some fans cannot help but feel deflated.
The concern is that West Ham went down a similar path when they ditched Moyes in 2018 and trumpeted the “high-calibre” appointment of Manuel Pellegrini. Lopetegui is the former manager of Real Madrid and Spain. He won the Europa League with Sevilla in 2020. He’s managed in the Champions League. He sounds more glamorous than Moyes, whose big problem always centred around complaints over his style of play.
However, for all that some figures are pushing Lopetegui as one of the greatest coaches around, there are people whose opinions on him are less complimentary. They will point out that Lopetegui won nothing at Porto; that he lost the Spain job after agreeing a deal with Madrid on the eve of the 2018 World Cup; that he was at Madrid for all of 138 days before being fired.
A source familiar with Sevilla notes how Lopetegui fizzled out after a strong start. There is criticism of his signings there. The team declined and had six defeats from 10 matches when Lopetegui was fired in October 2022. Internal fallouts, the source says, are common. That should make things interesting with Steidten, who fell out with Moyes, and Sullivan, who can be a supportive boss and a frustrating one.
Lopetegui will need to be patient. His decision to quit Wolves over disquiet at their transfer activity must be seen in context. Lopetegui did a fantastic job to guide Wolves out of the bottom three after his appointment in November 2022. However, the idea that he had no money is misleading. Wolves spent heavily during the January window and, although they were forced into sales because of concerns over profitability and sustainability rules, predictions that they would be dragged into another relegation battle were decisively crushed by Gary O’Neil after he was hired as Lopetegui’s replacement.
As ever, of course, the truth regarding Lopetegui probably lies somewhere in between. There is not much evidence that West Ham have hired one of the best coaches in Europe. They have, though, hired a clever, experienced coach who should be capable of finishing in the top half of the Premier League, assuming an ageing, small squad is strengthened appropriately.
West Ham, who will give Lopetegui funds, want between six and eight signings. They need to strengthen a slow, leaky defence incapable of playing a high line. A replacement for Vladimir Coufal at right-back is a must and none of the four senior centre-backs can consider themselves indispensable given that West Ham conceded 90 goals this season, a record that Moyes has put down to losing Declan Rice.
Does that argument wash? Not when you consider that West Ham were almost relegated in Rice’s final season and have signed three midfielders since his sale. Lopetegui has to address that area and find more energy. He also requires depth and quality on the flanks and alternatives to Michail Antonio up front. Perhaps, unlike Moyes, he can be trusted to use academy players.
All being well, the football will improve. Lopetegui was forced into pragmatism at Wolves, but his preference is to play an intense 4-3-3, with full-backs pushing up and creative players told to jink inside. Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paquetá – if he is still a West Ham player – will be crucial. Under Lopetegui, Sevilla’s average possession rose to more than 60%. The notion of a defensive manager is a little off. Lopetegui, a former Barcelona player, has cited Johan Cruyff as an inspiration. His win percentage in the Premier League was the highest of any Wolves manager. A 3-0 victory over Liverpool last season was evidence of Lopetegui’s tactical acumen, as was fighting back from a goal and a player down to win a crucial game against Southampton.
Perhaps the conclusion is that few managers arrive with an unblemished record. Exciting and progressive does not necessarily mean successful. After all, Moyes was once the former Manchester United, Sunderland and Real Sociedad dud. A lot of fans fumed at both of his appointments by West Ham. Moyes, the supposed definition of an ambition-free hire, ended up winning the club’s first trophy in 43 years. Lopetegui has a similar opportunity to silence the doubters.