Julen Lopetegui’s last waltz at West Ham United appears to be fast approaching: Two heavy defeats against Newcastle United and Arsenal have a certain inevitability about them and would make his position untenable after £140 million spent in the summer transfer window.
The names reported as shortlisted to replace Lopetegui have included the usual suspects – from the Special One to Potter, from Lampard to a plethora of German Bundesliga coaches, the possibility of a new appointment before the year is out has occupied dozens of column inches.
Claret and Hugh’s high ranking source at the club has made it clear that any new recruit needs to have Premier League experience and be available for free as West Ham don’t pay compensation to clubs.
In a major shift to this stance, if true, a report from teamtalk.com today suggests a new name has entered the frame for replacing Lopetegui. In all other senses bar the ‘compensation’ issue, this would be an ideal West Ham appointment.
The report confirms:” One name that has come up is Bournemouth manager, Andoni Iraola. The Cherries boss has been superb since his arrival and sources have stated he is being eyed up by a number of top sides. West Ham is seen as a very attractive option for managers due to the size of the club”
Andoni Iraola is, according to the report, now a prime target for David Sullivan’s plan to replace Lopetegui. Seriously impressive at Bournemouth, the young Spaniard would offer a breath of fresh air at London Stadium and could certainly repeat his successes on the south coast with this expensively assembled east London squad.
At Bournemouth, he did not take six months to change the style of the football on offer- a point not lost on the West Ham management, I’m sure, when Julen Lopetegui is still struggling to take the players forward in any recognisable style.
Iraola would need to be bought out of his Bournemouth contract – so Sullivan would need to wield the cheque book but compared with some of the waifs, strays and also ran’s mentioned to date as possible Hammers’ head coaches, this would be a massive step forward in the club’s evolution. We can but hope that the report has substance- and will keep our ears to the ground…
