Julen Lopetegui is in charge of West Ham United now, and one man will surely be very happy about that.
West Ham got rid of David Moyes earlier this summer, and replaced him with former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui.
The Spaniard has already embarked on a big squad overhaul with the signings of Brazilian teenager Luis Guilherme and experienced goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.
Meanwhile, Said Benrahma and Ben Johnson have moved on to pastures new.
Lopetegui is far from finished with his player recruitment, and is said to be eyeing a new striker, a defensive midfielder and a centre-back, as well as others.
In fact, the 57-year-old probably needs to make at least six more new signings this summer if we are to be competitive on all fronts next season.
The Hammers manager is said to be keen to wrap up the majority of his business by the time our pre-season campaign kicks off.
That’s only 18 days away, so I expect to see a lot of transfer activity at West Ham over the next couple of weeks.
However, one unfamiliar face might well now be hoping for his first big chance at West Ham, despite the fact that he’s been at the club for 18 months…
Could Julen Lopetegui finally give 22yo first West Ham appearance
The Spaniard arriving at the London Stadium will represent a fresh start for every fringe player who struggled to get minutes under Moyes.
The Scot has a bad habit of completely ostracising certain members of his squad if he didn’t fancy them for one reason or another.
Lopetegui has proven throughout his managerial career that he’s the complete opposite to Moyes in that regard.
The Spaniard brought numerous fringe players at Wolves back in from the cold during his time in charge at Molineux.
So will he do the same at the London Stadium?
One player in particular who wasn’t given any kind of chance under Moeys was brazilian centre-back Luizao.
It was a strange situation because the 61-year-old was the man who brought the defender to the club in the first place.
I’m not suggesting that he was definitely deserving of an opportunity, but we don’t really know one way or another whether he’s good enough for the Premier League.
Maybe Lopetegui will now give the 22-year-old the chance to showcase his true ability at senior level.
Luizao joined the Hammers on a free transfer from Sao Paulo in January of 2023, but he is still yet to make a senior appearance for the club.
West Ham allegedly want to sell the Brazilian, and are demanding around £4 million for his signature, but there haven’t been any takers yet.
So maybe Lopetegui will be prepared to have a look at what the former Sao Paulo man can do.
Luizao showcased his aggressive, tenacious tackling for the under-21s last season, and he is extremely combative in the air.
Julen Lopetegui will undoubtedly keep a close eye on West Ham’s young Brazilian during pre-season, if he remains at the London Stadium of course.
And it will be interesting to see whether or not he’s given a chance to show the fans what he’s really capable of.
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