JULE DO FOR US
West Ham confirm Lopetegui arrival and he vows to put his own stamp on Hammers
JULEN LOPETEGUI is determined to make a “big noise” at West Ham after being confirmed as David Moyes’ replacement.
Moyes led the Hammers to the Europa Conference League title last year but departed at the end of the recent season.
Former Wolves and Real Madrid boss Lopetegui, 57, has taken over after a poor run saw West Ham finish ninth in the Premier League. He has joined on a two-year deal, with the option for a third.
“I feel that we have a fantastic platform,” said the Spaniard, who officially begins his role on July 1.
“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.
“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.”
Lopetegui, who won the Europa League in 2020 with Sevilla (right), had been out of work since leaving Wolves before the start of the season.
He had guided the Molineux side to safety after taking over when Wanderers were bottom of the Premier League in November 2022.
Now he joins a West Ham side whose last clean sheet in the league came on January 2, and whose 74 goals conceded is the club’s worst return in the Premier League era.
The new boss (above) said: “We have the dream to be able, with hard work, to put our stamp here and improve and to be able to compete in all the competitions we have in front of us.
“We have to put the focus on our daily work in our way and to put these kind of values inside the dressing room and inside the club.”
Predecessor Moyes lamented the loss of Declan Rice and defensive issues were exacerbated by a thin squad and untimely injuries.
That is something Lopetegui will have to address and his teams have, broadly speaking, been tighter at the back.
And the personnel he brings in could offer a guide to the kind of support the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus might receive further forward.
Striker Youssef En-nesyri was linked
with the Hammers during the Moyes era, and his prior relationship with the new boss at Sevilla has seen those links resurface.
“I am where I want to be,” Lopetegui added. “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.”
His challenge at West Ham is making an immediate impact in his first season and ensuring he is given the time to take the team and its individuals to the next level.
Hammers joint chairman David Sullivan said: “We believe this appointment will ensure a strong opportunity to build on the positive progress made in recent seasons.”