A Wolves expert has sounded a grave warning to West Ham about appointing Julen Lopetegui as fans voice concerns.
West Ham are on the hunt for a new manager to replace David Moyes and one name that’s been in the frame for some time is former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui.
Telegraph journalist Matt Law claimed a couple of months ago that the ex Wolverhampton Wanderers manager appealed to West Ham’s owners.
Former Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla boss Lopetegui has kept his house in the UK in the hope of landing another Premier League job.
And there has been increasing speculation that he’s about to do just that with the Hammers.
West Ham were once again linked with Lopetegui at the weekend.
The prospect of the Hammers appointing the 57-year-old, who walked out on Wolves in August, is dividing West Ham fans.
His name was quickly forgotten when, on Monday night, coveted Sporting boss Ruben Amorim flew to London for talks with West Ham.
Lopetegui emerges as West Ham frontrunner
Less than 24 hours later, West Ham’s Amorim hopes were dead, though. And Lopetegui came back into the equation with The Guardian now reporting he is the preferred choice of majority owner David Sullivan.
When it was reported Lopetegui was going to snub AC Milan for West Ham, the Italian club’s fans were reportedly relieved.
West Ham’s own supporters are not particularly enamoured by Lopetegui potentially being named Moyes’ successor either.
Indeed many, on social media at least, have said they’d ‘rather stick with Moyes’.
Hammers fans far from convinced
Many Hammers fans have formed an opinion on Lopetegui from his time at Wolves and of course Sevilla, whose Europa League dominating side were knocked out of Europe by Moyes’ West Ham two years ago.
But are West Ham fans right to have reservations about Lopetegui and whether his style is any more modern, exciting or advanced than Moyes?
Well in short, yes they are.
That’s according to Molineux News journalist Tom Proctor.
The Wolves expert has sounded a grave warning to West Ham about appointing Lopetegui.
Proctor is in a much better position than any Hammers fans to give his informed opinion on what Lopetegui does – and does not – bring to the table.
His description of Lopetegui’s time at Wolves sounds almost identical to the approach taken by Moyes at West Ham.
And although there were financial restrictions, the football was largely uninspiring.
Wolves expert’s grave warning about appointing Lopetegui
“Lopetegui’s time at Wolves was interesting,” Proctor told Hammers News.
“The club were obviously in trouble last season and Lopetegui was brought in to execute a safety mission.
“That meant there was a greater emphasis on Wolves becoming harder to beat, which is something he did successfully. He took a pragmatic approach and was keen for the players to work harder out of possession.
“When he first arrived, he was said to be shocked at the players’ fitness levels. So he quickly addressed that and Wolves became much more competitive.
“But despite that I have to say the football was not particularly entertaining. Wolves scored just 23 goals in his 23 Premier League games in charge which was nothing to shout about really.
‘Football never flash or fancy’
“He did help to bring in some very important players though. Mario Lemina and Craig Dawson were vital additions who were massive in keeping Wolves up. He identified what was needed and pushed for the backing of his superiors. Him doing this was huge for Wolves, who may otherwise have ended up relegated.
“It turned sour at the end because the club’s financial situation was bleak and he couldn’t get the backing needed. He ended up leaving just days before the new season and some fans didn’t like how he engineered his exit. Him regularly expressing his concerns publicly. That eventually came off as him ‘moaning’ and not believing in a squad that still had talent in it.
“Many Wolves fans did like him for a long period but mainly because he was getting results. The football was never too flash or fancy, but he knew how to win games.
“If West Ham fans are craving exciting attacking football then they are probably right to have some reservations about Lopetegui based on his time at Molineux.”
You can learn more about Lopetegui’s tactical approach in the video below.