A West Ham United star has admitted he’ll have to help new head coach Julen Lopetegui win over the dressing room.
It’s not just the media and some fans Julen Lopetegui will have to win over at West Ham.
The Spaniard was not necessarily the man many Hammers fans had in mind when craving a modern, innovative, attack-minded boss to replace David Moyes.
But many have warmed to the idea having heard from the ex Spain boss about his plans and ambitions.
It has come across loud and clear that Lopetegui means business at West Ham after taking over from Moyes.
Any new manager will look to put their own stamp on a club when they arrive. Whether it works or gets a tune out of the players is another matter.
Lopetegui is certainly looking to do things his own way at West Ham, though.
The 57-year-old has made sweeping changes to the first team staff with eight having departed to make way for his own backroom team.
Only compatriot and fellow former goalkeeper Xavi Valero remains as goalkeeper coach while Mark Robson has returned to the Hammers academy.
Lopetegui, alongside technical director Tim Steidten, has already started making changes to the the West Ham squad with Luis Guilherme set to be his first signing.
Lopetegui’s sweeping changes much needed
West Ham’s season disappointingly ended in a damp squib with just five wins in 25 games since the turn of the year.
The Hammers conceded a record 74 goals and did not keep a single clean sheet in their last 16 matches.
Moyes’ side were 17th in the form table for the second half of the season.
So it is clear something was not right. That showed in several heavy defeats.
Moyes himself publicly questioned the leadership at West Ham in a parting shot before he left.
He even named a list of senior players he felt should be stepping up and taking on the mantle of Declan Rice and Mark Noble before them.
Now a West Ham star has admitted he’ll have to help Lopetegui win over the dressing room.
And by doing so he has inadvertently concurred with Moyes about a lack of unity among the Hammers players compared to previous seasons.
Cresswell to help Lopetegui win over dressing room
Aaron Cresswell had looked set to leave West Ham this summer. The left-back turns 35 in December and has been a great servant to the Hammers.
But many fans felt the time was right to part ways with the club needing to sign young, modern, pacy full-backs if they are serious about competing for Europe.
So there was some surprise – and disappointment among many – when Cresswell signed a new one-year deal to bring up a decade at West Ham.
Many feel it shows a lack of ambition from the club. Others think it’s a sensible move given Cresswell’s experience and with other priorities for the club’s reported £100m summer budget.
Now Cresswell has spoken for the first time about Lopetegui’s appointment.
And he says he can be Lopetegui’s new Noble by bringing the dressing room together for the Spaniard.
Creswell concedes the team may not have been pulling in the same direction of late. And amid all the changes, he wants to help change that for the new boss.
“My role has changed a bit, but I understand how things work in football, and there’s a bigger picture,” Cresswell told the club’s official website.
“Nobes was someone who played every game for years and years, and then took on a different role during his last season in the squad. He was an example off the field, with his commitment and the standards he set, and he was always ready to contribute when needed.
‘Everyone pulling in the same direction’
“With Nobes having retired, and then Declan Rice leaving last summer, I like to think I can take on that role as one of the senior voices now, and can pass on my experience and knowledge of the identity of the club.
“There’s a new management team that’s come in, and our Academy is booming, so I think that could be really important, and I’m certainly ready to help out as much as I can…
“There are going to be some changes and, as one of the more experienced players, I’ll do what I can to help pull everyone together in the same direction.”
As concerning as it is to hear the squad have not been pulling in the same direction, it’s hardly surprising.
That has been perfectly evident in some of the woeful performances in 2024.
So this is encouraging – not to mention refreshingly honest – from Cresswell.
Perhaps it was a wise decision to keep him on for Lopetegui’s first season after all.
It is also clear now why Lopetegui is prepared to sell captain Kurt Zouma – the man who should be making these kind of statements.