I was somewhat shocked yesterday to find out that there had been speculation over Julen Lopetegui’s position at West Ham over the last two days.
I must admit I was taken aback when I was asked in a Zoom call yesterday what I thought of the rumours that the Hammers’ coach could face the sack. I immediately dismissed it as a scurrilous speculation, but curiosity got the better of me, and I performed a very quick internet search, not expecting anything of note to turn up.
To my surprise, it was true. There are numerous examples of people suggesting the Spaniard’s job was under threat, followed by a piece from Football Insider claiming, “there would be no knee-jerk reaction, but the pressure was on for the 24/25 campaign.”
Quite frankly, the fact that this is even a conversation is absolutely preposterous. Lopetegui’s West Ham career is still in its infancy, and while I haven’t quoted the club directly for comment, I’m certain what their response would be.
While the former Real Madrid manager may not have had a flying start to his Hammers career, he has managed excellent results away from home and progressed to the next round in the Carabao Cup.
Sure, there have been some teething problems and possibly a few selections which had a few of us West Ham fans scratching our heads, but anybody who thinks the current board would put a new manager on the ‘watch list’ so soon after his appointment hasn’t been paying attention over the years.
Time and patience for Lopetegui
Say what you want about the current ownership, but they do give their managers money and time to succeed and certainly take a long time before deciding to make any changes at the top.
Lopetegui is still building, still trying to find his best team, and attempting to integrate new signings while discovering which former players are going to fit into his new methods. It’s abundantly clear that West Ham are playing a higher defensive line and attempting to press the opposition far more than ever happened under David Moyes.
So, whilst at times the performances may not be thrilling and entertaining, there is definitely change happening. Granted, we were all a bit puzzled with the selection of Michail Antonio and Tomas Soucek in the starting lineup against Fulham, but these are certainly not sacking offenses or anything that would cause anyone at the boardroom level to start a process of assessment over the manager.
I suspect it will be something of a rocky road until Lopetegui fully implements his new ideas, but make no mistake about it—if people are reporting that his job is under threat, it’s certainly not coming from anyone within the club.