Julen Lopetegui was always the wrong choice. West Ham were warned against appointing him last May, but they pressed ahead and have paid the price. They are seven points above the bottom three after spending more than £100m last summer, the football has been drab, supporters are disengaged and the only surprise is that it has taken this long for West Ham to part with the Spaniard.
So much for a fresh start. West Ham were ready to move on from David Moyes, whose reign ran out of steam last season, but they have made a spectacular hash of the succession plan. Lopetegui was not the coach to oversee a style revolution.
West Ham were taken in by a deceptively strong CV. Lopetegui was fired by Spain on the eve of the 2018 World Cup, lasted 14 games at Real Madrid and is not remembered fondly at Sevilla despite winning the Europa League in 2020. They were told he had a history of falling out with people. It was not long before they realised they had made a mistake.
It has been a disastrous appointment. West Ham have mustered few decent performances under Lopetegui, whose attempts to introduce an approach based around a high line, possession and inverted full-backs never convinced. They have been slow, incapable of pressing and vulnerable to transitions. Players have struggled to understand their head coach’s messaging.
There was surprise at the start of the season with Lopetegui’s emphasis on long switches of play. Sources wondered whether he was so different from Moyes, who was criticised for his counterpunching tactics, and the humiliations have piled up. Awful at the back, West Ham have conceded three goals or more on nine occasions this season.
Somehow, though, Lopetegui hung on after losing 3-1 to lowly Leicester last month. Sérgio Conceição was discussed and Graham Potter was close to taking over, only for West Ham to dither and waste more time. Lopetegui, who has chopped and changed without coming close to finding a settled XI, limped on.
He has shown an ability to dig out results here and there, although much has depended on the heroics of Lukasz Fabianski in goal and sudden bursts of attacking inspiration from Jarrod Bowen. It would not have taken much for West Ham to be in a much worse position.
[ West Ham sack Julen Lopetegui after deal agreed with Graham PotterOpens in new window ]
As it is, they still look unlikely to be dragged into a relegation battle. They have experienced internationals and players capable of making a difference. Potter, who is poised to take his first job since leaving Chelsea in April 2023, thinks he can work with this squad.
It needs surgery, though. West Ham have spent millions on center backs in the past two years but they cannot stop leaking goals. They have had no dynamism in midfield since selling Declan Rice.
Tim Steidten, the technical director, must take some of the blame. Niclas Füllkrug, the 31-year-old Germany striker, has been a bust at £27m. Spending £25m on the Brazilian teenager Luis Guilherme looks indulgent. Konstantinos Mavropanos, the error-prone Greece centre back, has been a disaster. Max Kilman cost too much from Wolves. Jean-Clair Todibo is a talented defender but questions have been raised about his attitude since his move from Nice. It is no secret he wanted to join Juventus last summer. Finances brought him to West Ham, with his arrival hailed as yet another coup for Steidten, and the Frenchman has not seemed engaged.
This is not a happy squad. Indiscipline has plagued West Ham. Edson Álvarez, the tenacious but one-paced Mexico midfielder, has been sent off twice and faced internal punishment after picking up a red card in the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool in September. Lopetegui, who has received far too many bookings for dissent, has clashed with individuals. There was a row with Mohammed Kudus at half-time of the draw with Brentford in September. Todibo was hauled off after a furious altercation with Lopetegui in the dressingroom when West Ham found themselves 5-2 down at half-time against Arsenal in November.
That was one of many low moments. West Ham adopted a negative set-up against Arsenal, but they had no defensive organisation and no idea how to counterattack, with Bowen and Michail Antonio isolated. They had also capitulated against Tottenham and were taken apart at home by Chelsea, who punished Lopetegui’s decision to have Álvarez man-mark the speedy Nicolas Jackson.
Worse, it was a team without identity. There were no clear patterns of play. There was just a sense of emptiness. Supporters have not really been angry, they have just been waiting for it to end. There is a numbness at the team’s decline, although there is anger with decisions made from on high.
Fingers have been pointed at David Sullivan for appointing Lopetegui and questions have been asked about Steidten. Why did the German end up staying away from the training ground under Lopetegui and Moyes? Why are there insiders who struggle to believe the social media hype around Steidten? Lopetegui, it is said, may not be the last high-profile exit. There is a sense Steidten does not have a grasp on English football.
This has been a grubby episode, reflecting poorly on West Ham. Lopetegui’s camp are furious about his treatment. They feel he has been undermined and messed around by a technical director lacking in credibility. There is disbelief Lopetegui has been left hanging while his job has been touted around.
Sackings are part of the game, but there are proper ways to conduct business and West Ham’s well-earned reputation for chaos comes from the top. As the largest shareholder Sullivan must bear responsibility for the lack of moral clarity that repeatedly creates these unseemly dramas around managers. It feels as if Steidten, meanwhile, must change his ways if he is to survive.
He has played an influential role in Potter’s impending arrival. Perhaps West Ham will finally have a functioning relationship between head coach and technical director. There has been too much dysfunction – it is absurd Lopetegui was able to push for signing Carlos Soler and Guido Rodríguez when both are unsuited to the Premier League – and infighting. A toxic atmosphere needs fumigating.
Potter has challenges. Bowen is out for two months with a broken foot and Antonio is unavailable after his horrific car crash. Funds are limited after last summer’s splurge. Potter must revive Kudus, who has lost his way after an excellent debut campaign, and motivate Lucas Paquetá, who is at risk of a lengthy ban after being charged with a breach of betting regulations, which he denies.
Yet this is at least a fresh start. There will be some who wonder whether Potter is a busted flush after his time at Chelsea. Is he dynamic enough for a club as theatrical as West Ham? Similar things were said about Moyes after his torment at Manchester United, but the Scot ended up winning West Ham’s first trophy in 43 years. For Potter, this is a chance to restore his reputation. He was feted at Brighton and seen as something different. West Ham are crying out for someone with a clear vision and a set way of playing. – Guardian
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