West Ham Online

Champions league here we come ! ?üòâ

"It will be interesting, certainly has my support. HAMMERS"

"It will be interesting, certainly has my support. HAMMERS"

"Vexed ""Let's not dress this up as a good appointment"" Nothing to pretend, it is a good appointment."

"Have to say I don't mind him being a bit of a cսnt as long as it's directed at Sullivan. By all accounts he was sold a bit of a pup at Wolves and walked...would have been easier to stay and get sacked and want a pay off like most, but he walked when what the club had said wasnt reality. Think personally he'll be a decent appointment. My only concern with him is the style won't be ""swashbuckling"" enough for the natives. Lots of passing and ball retention, but maybe not relentless attacking thrust. But he'll play a high line, instigate a press, and likely bin off Soucek. He also really wants to be here and sees potential in the club and what we're looking to do, and it sounds like he's prepared to work alongside Steidten. With Sullivan's track record, we could do way way worse than this guy (Cooper, Rogers, etc). When Villa took Emery no one here would have wanted that."

Wonder if Benrahma returns now too?

"MA - cheers, the article gives a bit more: ""One of Lopetegui's notable contributions to RCD Espanyol was his commitment to nurturing young talents. He placed great importance on the club's youth academy, promoting promising players to the first team. Lopetegui's belief in the potential of these young stars resulted in a seamless blend of experience and youth on the field."""

"Good appointment, good track record and can not possibly be as negative as Moyes. Will shift the older players hopefully whereas if Moyes stayed they would have got contract extensions. Should revitalise the others and try a few more of the youth players We may at last see an actual striker playing upfront to his strengths and no more surrendering possession every game regardless of the oppo. No more conceding games before KO. Liked to play out from the back. Strong defensively which is something Moyes definitely hasn't been for 2 years. Looking forward to next season now with renewed vigour."

"Let's not dress this up as a good appointment, its not, but digging him old because he's old is a bit thick. Flavour of the month Emery is only a handful of years younger and I hear he's ""bwilliant"". He's got a massive job on his hands with the mess Moyes has left behind and if he's at the very least competent then we're better off. Loppy does have an air of cuntishness about him though, for sure."

"I havent been following every aspect of this, but there are lots on here claiming that Noble and Steidten are or were not in favour of him. Are any of these happy to share their source with the rest of us? If not, and it is just knicker wetting or attention seeking posters why not give the new manager a chance? Whoever we bring in, we know that the Board will not necessarily splash the cash for a complete squad rebuild. There might be a few new arrivals, which means that the younger players will need to be brought through. The new manager will be starting from scratch, with no favourites, which only bodes well for bringing the younger players through and using the full squad, not the Moyes model of a favourite 11."

Not sure that counts MA as managing the youth team you are only allowed to play youth players. I'd be interested to see whether he gives youth players a chance at club level.

Further 'research' here... https://betimate.com/en/news/insight/julen-lopetegui-the-inspiring-journey-of-a-renowned-football-manager-81686

"What a completely shit, uninspiring choice. I expect mid table borefest if we're lucky next season. I really hope I'm wrong. Moyes goes out being the oldest manager in the league LOLopetegui comes in being the second oldest manager in the league."

"Quite good actually, winning back to back European Championships with 2 different Spanish age groups."

What’s his history on playing the youth?

"Not just the defence. He'll need to keep Kudus and Bowen and replace Paqueta. He will need to make sure that Antonio is not our first choice striker and find a replacement, or find a way to bring him back to his best. There is allot of work to do but expect he knows this and knows how much he has to spend."

Good luck and welcome J.Lo

"Will be tough for him, he will have to replace the whole defence first as a priority."

"I'd be very surprised if we ain't seriously challenging for the top 4 within 3 seasons once he's got to grips with rebuilding the squad to his liking. The only thing I could see holding him back achieving that would be Sullivan which is highly likely. If he is supported and gets most of the players he wants and able to keep most of our best, then we will be in for a treat."

"Comma very true and the squad is painfully thin thanks to Moyes so it will take time to rebuild it, Lopetegui wasn't my preferred choice but he has a good CV so let's hope he delivers with Steidten able to find him some decent players"

"Is that Spanish for, be careful what you wish for?"

"Kaixo Julen, ONGI ETTORI ETA ZORTE ON"

"The majority will cut the new coach some slack, especially as the squad are used to four years of Moyes, and watch for areas of improvement. It won’t be plain sailing bedding in."

"The majority will cut the new coach some slack, especially as the squad are used to four years of Moyes, and watch for areas of improvement. It won’t be plain sailing bedding in."

"Far be it for me to be the voice of reason but - 1) He is being appointed as a head coach, not a manager. 2) He worked, very successfully, with a sporting director at Sevilla. 3) Craig Dawson likes him."

Don't know much about him but like Moyes will given support.