West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui says he has been seriously impressed by one of his summer signings even if others haven’t been.
West Ham signed nine new players to usher in the Julen Lopetegui era in the summer.
So the excitement was palpable among fans as well as increased expectation.
Over £155m was spent on deals for Luis Guilherme, Max Kilman, Niclas Fullkrug, Jean-Clair Todibo, Crysencio Summerville and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Meanwhile Wes Foderingham and Guido Rodriguez arrived on free transfers.
But West Ham’s indifferent start to the Premier League season and Lopetegui’s approach of drip-feeding many of the new signings into the team has seen some of the excitement evaporate.
New signings have been slow-burners at West Ham
The Hammers must go on a consistent run of results to get it back.
Kilman, Wan-Bissaka and Todibo have really impressed since joining West Ham.
Summerville has also caught the eye with supporters urging the manager to use him more.
One man who has divided opinion, though, is Rodriguez.
The Argentina midfielder would be at Barcelona right now had Xavi not left.
Their former manager felt Rodriguez could do a similar job at Barca to the great Sergio Busquets.
So the 30-year-old arrived at West Ham with some reputation to live up to.
Thus far, though, some fans and observers are unconvinced.
Jamie Redknapp singled Rodriguez out for criticism saying he is a player who could struggle in the Premier League after watching his debut.
The criticism felt harsh at the time and Rodriguez actually bit back at it saying it felt he did ok.
Lopetegui blown away by new West Ham star many don’t rate
Fast forward a couple of matches and at home against Chelsea he was subbed off after just 30-odd minutes as West Ham went on to lose 3-0.
Lopetegui said his tactics were to blame rather than Rodriguez.
Many felt his was a much-improved performance in the 4-1 win over Ipswich before the international break.
But Rodriguez has lost his place in the Argentina squad since signing for the Hammers and it’s fair to say the jury is still very much out on him.
He has impressed the most important person, though, it seems.
Because Lopetegui has been blown away by the new West Ham star many simply don’t rate.
“Guido is a tactically intelligent lad, who has adapted quickly to what’s asked of him,” Lopetegui said about Rodriguez.
“He’s trying to give us a little more time to relax and more positioning.
“English football requires a period of adaptation and Guido is doing so in a remarkably fast way.”
What do the statistics say about Rodriguez at West Ham?
According to WhoScored, Rodriguez has been West Ham’s 11th best performer overall so far this season. He has registered an average rating of 6.48/10.
So while he has clearly not been setting the world alight, he is deserving of his place in the starting XI.
And it could be argued he can only get better as he adapts to his new teammates and the Premier League.
But take a deeper dive and it shows exactly what the Argentine brings to the team.
Because Rodriguez is West Ham’s best player when it comes to defensive contribution.
He has made more tackles, interceptions and blocks than any of his Hammers teammates.
There is enough evidence – both statistically and from watching Rodriguez play – to suggest he can be a top player for West Ham.
Spurs will be a big test and a game where he must stamp his authority if he is to start to win over any doubters.
One thing is for certain, it sounds like he’ll be starting given Lopetegui’s effusive praise.
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