Julen Lopetegui has a real opportunity to strengthen his West Ham Unietd starting XI beyond all recognition this summer.
There will undoubtedly be a big reshuffle at the London Stadium this summer, with Julen Lopetegui eyeing at least for more new signings before the start of the new season.
The West Ham manager was said to be prioritising the signing of a new striker – Youssef En-Nesyri in particular, but his primary concern has apparently now switched to bringing in a central midfielder after the injury picked up by Edson Alvarez on international duty.
If we’re being honest, Lopetegui actually needs to strengthen every single position at the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.
The Hammers gaffer needs to bring in a new left-winger, a centre-back, a centre-forward and another defensive midfielder…as a bare minimum.
It must be said, the exciting thing for the West Ham fans is the fact that Lopetegui and Tim Steidten are not hanging around this summer.
The Spaniard allegedly wants to wrap up the majority of his business before West Ham’s pre-season campaign begins on July 20th.
So his assault on the transfer market really needs to start picking up pace. And in my view, he could be presented with a real opportunity to strengthen his ranks with two surprise exits in the pipeline…
Julen Lopetegui must act after after West Ham duo exit twist
It could well be all change at the London Stadium this summer, with two key first-team players being linked with surprise exits from the club.
Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri were permanent fixtures in former manager David Moyes’s starting XI last season.
However, both of them could be set to leave the East London outfit this summer. Coufal, 31, is being heavily linked with a move to Galatasaray after the Euros.
And Emerson is being tipped to return to Italy, with Roma in the hunt to re-sign the 29-year-old Hammers left-back.
Firstly, I hope the Italian stays at West Ham – he was absolutely brilliant for us last season and was undoubtedly one of our very best players.
However, I think it’s the right time for Coufal to be moved on. The Czech Republic international isn’t good enough to be playing for a Premier League side chasing a top seven spot in my view.
However, there’s every chance that both of them will leave, especially if Emerson pushes for a return to his homeland.
As far as I’m concerned, there is no need to get down about the prospect of that happening.
Rather than worry about the possibility of both Coufal and Emerson leaving, Lopetegui should flip it into a massive opportunity…
Spain and Portugal stars are key West Ham targets
So let’s say that both Emerson and Coufal leave the Hammers this summer.
The two players will need replacing, and West Ham have been linked with a couple of specific players who would alleviate us to a whole new level.
Real Betis left-back Juan Miranda is firmly on the Hammers radar according to a report from Estadio Deportivo.
And it emerged yesterday that we will be able to pick up the 24-year-old up on a free transfer this summer.
I think the Betis left-back would be a superb addition for West Ham in the summer transfer window, especially considering the fact he’s available for nothing.
In 25 La Liga outings for Betis last term, Miranda averaged 1.5 tackles, one interception and 2.3 clearances per match (Who Scored).
He is very quick indeed, has energy and dynamism in abundance and possesses exceptional technical ability.
Then we come to Tiago Santos. The 21-year-old Lille starlet is said to be a key transfer target for Lopetegui this summer, and what a signing he would be for us.
Santos was signed for around £5 million back in 2023, so you would assumer that Lille will demand at least three times that amount to part ways with him this summer.
£15 million for a player with his ability would be an absolute steal, make no mistake about that. He has pace in abundance, is an exceptional tackler and is ideally suited to the intense nature of Premier League football.
Santos is an explosive right-back and would be a major upgrade on Coufal.
Julen Lopetegui has a big chance to take West Ham to another level this summer by turning a negative into a positive.
We just have to hope that he receives adequate financial backing from the Hammers owners to enable him to do so.
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