JUL 'N FROWN
Where it all went wrong for Julen Lopetegui as he is SACKED by West Ham after board’s catastrophic misstep
Lopetegui has already fallen out with the club's technical director
AS David Moyes watched West Ham’s 4-1 drubbing at Manchester City from the stands on Saturday, some fans may have wished he was still in charge.
Sacking Moyes last summer was not the wrong call — but appointing the now departed Julen Lopetegui was a catastrophic misstep.
6
6
West Ham needed to move on from the Scot, despite the fact he led them to Europa Conference League glory in 2023.
Replacement Lopetegui - who has finally been given the boot - never appeared to be the man to take them forward and the ex-Real Madrid, Sevilla and Wolves boss has been given more time than necessary to prove just that.
After spending £127.5million in the summer window on Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the Hammers have fallen backwards from the firm foundations that Moyes built.
Lopetegui quickly appeared to be a dead man walking.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
It feels like midway through the season, West Ham — 14th in the table and just seven points above the drop zone — are back to square one.
There was nothing wrong with supporters wanting something more than Moyes at the end of last season.
Across the second half of that campaign the Hammers lacked threat and identity, with the manager’s tenure falling apart.
Though it is hard to argue things would have been this bad had Moyes signed the deal that was on the table this time last year.
Most read in Football
6
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
After a doomed summer pursuit of Ruben Amorim, who would have marked a significant tactical shift, West Ham landed on Lopetegui.
It was not an appointment unanimously supported within the hierarchy, though he was backed with huge spending — which has not paid off.
Huge brawl erupts after West Ham beat Wolves with Bowen thrown to ground as tensions boil over following El Sackico
There were early concerns within the squad over a lack of tactical drilling in training and little work on structure. The fact there has been no clearly identifiable playing style also raised doubts.
Those worries spread to the boardroom as they watched Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool (twice) put at least four goals past the Hammers.
Moyes’ main issue last season was at the back, with a club record 74 Premier League goals conceded across the season.
But they are on course to match that figure.
There has been far too much of a reliance on the individual talents of Jarrod Bowen — now injured for six weeks — and Mohammed Kudus, who was suspended for five games.
A lack of understanding between Lopetegui and his players has boiled over at times, with both Kudus and Jean-Clair Todibo involved in heated rows with their manager.
Kudus and the Spaniard argued at Brentford in September when West Ham were trailing, while Todibo vented after Arsenal had scored five first-half goals in November.
6
There were concerns about the squad from the manager’s side too.
Since the departure of Declan Rice in 2023, West Ham have lacked a vocal leader and Lopetegui worried about their mentality. But that concern was not addressed.
Hammers have also lacked pace and presence in midfield all season with their only energetic runner, James Ward-Prowse, shipped out on loan to Nottingham Forest.
Ward-Prowse made way for Carlos Soler, who has made little impact since his loan move from Paris Saint-Germain.
The signing of Guido Rodriguez on a free transfer from Real Betis has been a disaster.
Lopetegui cannot be blamed for every single deal, with technical director Tim Steidten having taken a lead role.
But Steidten and the manager had a tense relationship, which culminated in the German being asked to stay away from the training ground this week.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Moyes had fallen out with Steidten but the hope was that Lopetegui, with a more European view, would be able to work alongside him.
That, like most elements of Lopetegui’s tenure, also failed.
6
6
Topics