West Ham United has officially named Julen Lopetegui, former manager of Spain and Real Madrid, as their new head coach, effective July 1st. Lopetegui, who brings extensive experience from his time with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, succeeds David Moyes, who departed the club earlier this month.
Last season, West Ham finished ninth in the Premier League with 52 points, missing out on European competition for the next season.
Lopetegui expressed his commitment and ambition in a statement: “My goal as a coach is always to improve, achieve greater aims, and enhance both the players and the team. Football is about competition, and I am here because I want to be. The day we finalized our agreement was fantastic because our commitment is absolute.”
Lopetegui’s coaching career began in Spain’s youth setup and included stints with Vallecano in Spain’s second tier and Porto in Portugal. After managing Spain’s national team in 2016, he briefly led Real Madrid before being dismissed following a poor start. His most notable success came with Sevilla, where he won the Europa League in 2020. He then managed Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2022, helping them avoid relegation before leaving in 2023 due to disagreements with the club’s owners.
West Ham’s technical director, Tim Steidten, highlighted Lopetegui as their top choice: “Julen has a proven track record of improving players and teams. We are excited to see him work with our squad. He lives and breathes football, is tactically astute, and has demonstrated his ability to adapt across various leagues and countries.”
Say hello to the new Head Coach of West Ham United 👋⁰
Welcome to London, Julen Lopetegui! ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/2aCO0pY3Km— West Ham United (@WestHam) May 23, 2024
“I thought, ‘one day, I would like to be here as a coach’.”
Turning thoughts into reality 💭 pic.twitter.com/XmN2vhXEkv
— West Ham United (@WestHam) May 23, 2024
Advertisement
