West Ham confirm ‘outstanding’ Julen Lopetegui appointment as boss reveals desire to make ‘big noise’
Julen Lopetegui signs West Ham contract
West Ham United have announced the arrival of new manager Julen Lopetegui, who will replace David Moyes in the London Stadium hot seat.
Moyes guided West Ham to Europa Conference League glory and three consecutive European quarter-finals during his second spell with the club, but it became clear this season that the two needed to part ways. West Ham are in need of a new coach to come in and stamp their authority on the team, and that is exactly what Lopetegui will do.
The Spaniard saw a move to AC Milan collapse before opening talks with West Ham. Bayern Munich attempted to hijack the deal, but the Irons have ultimately won the race for the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss.
In a club statement, West Ham have confirmed they are ‘delighted’ to see Lopetegui arrive as their new head coach.
West Ham did not reveal the length of his contract, although it is understood to be a two-year deal with the option of an extra year.
In his first interview with club media, the 57-year-old said he wants to make ‘big noise’ at West Ham, potentially by disrupting the Premier League’s top six.
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“I feel very happy, first of all, to be able to be part of the future of this big club,” he said. “We will try to put our stamp on the club.
“I feel that we have a fantastic platform. I think the last few years have been very good years to have this base, of course, but my ambition as a coach is always to be better and better, to achieve more and bigger aims and to encourage and improve the players, the team, and to compete because football is about this – to compete. We are very ambitious about this.
West Ham latest: Julen Lopetegui arrival confirmed
“I am where I want to be. I am here because I want to be here and for us it was a fantastic day when we closed our agreement here because we our commitment is 100 per cent to be here. We had other opportunities but I am very happy that West Ham chose me because I chose West Ham too, so we are really happy about this.
“We came here with the idea and the thought to make a big, big noise. That’s why we came here, and we are excited by this challenge. Of course, we are going to do our best to help the club and the team to achieve to achieve the best level and to achieve our aims. I assure the fans that they are going to be key in all our achievements.”
West Ham technical director Tim Steidten went on to label Lopetegui an ‘outstanding’ manager.
“We are very pleased to welcome Julen and his staff to our club,” he added. “He was a stand-out candidate to become our head coach and I am personally delighted that we have chosen to work together. His career shows that, wherever he has coached, he has improved players and teams, and we are looking forward to seeing him work with our squad.
“Julen lives and breathes football. He thinks deeply about the game, he is tactically astute and he has shown he can adapt to work in different leagues, in different countries, with national teams, and in each situation he has shown his outstanding qualities. Julen is highly experienced in the way we will now work at West Ham United and I am looking forward to working with him to grow a successful future for the club.”