Amongst Julen Lopetegui’s many flaws at West Ham United, the one which is perhaps most destructive to the club is his failure to play any academy-originated youngsters. The report from TheAthletic’s Roshane Thomas which detailed the facts, confirmed that West Ham have given the joint-lowest number of minutes on the pitch to club-trained players this season.
A damning indictment of the Hammers coach whose CV claims he was himself a youth team manager.
For ‘The Academy of Football’ to be bottom of the list is bad enough, but just consider for one moment this is the club who’s youth team won the FA youth cup just 7 months ago. Arsenal, the opponents on that day have already transitioned players from that match into their senior squad. West Ham – failed totally.
And as for Steidten’s “pearl diving” – maybe another who needs to look at what is in front of him before another fruitless Brazil scouting trip!
So when I see bang average players from the championship linked with January signings for West Ham, I get quite emotional when considering the young players we already have at the club who are available without a fee, just desperate for integration into the senior team.
For that reason alone I’d fire Lopetegui but then I was never known for my level-headedness.
Lewis Orford. George Earthy. Freddie Potts. There’s a whole midfield ready to go. Yet Lopetegui either ignores them or sent them out on loan. Callum Marshall and Gideon Kudua aren’t far behind. Fin Herrick in goal is every bit as good as Wes Foderingham with his whole career in front of him and should already be holding that third ‘keeper spot.
I swear that if Lopetegui had arrived at London Stadium with youngsters in the squad such as Rico Lewis or Alejandro Garnacho, he’d have sent them out on loan. Time for a new coach, new ideas, and new faces from within the club to be nurtured not ignored.
