Julen Lopetegui told to copy Aston Villa at West Ham United
Frank McAvennie has told Julen Lopetegui to emulate Aston Villa’s playing style at West Ham United next season.
Villa secured a top-four finish and Champions League qualification ahead of Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham in 2023/24, while the Hammers slipped to ninth in David Moyes’ final campaign.
And McAvennie – speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone – was impressed with the style Villa employed to achieve their aims and feels the Hammers are more than capable of following suit.
“I’d be looking to do at least what we’ve done in the past few years, do it better and do what Aston Villa do – look at the way they play football, it’s brilliant,” he said.
“West Ham, Aston Villa – same colours but they play better football than us and we’ve got better players than them.
“They’ve got John McGinn who’s absolutely superb, Watkins, they’ve got good players – but so do we. And that’s the kind of football fans would love to see. They’ve done well and they’ve done well by playing really attractive football.”
Can West Ham United emulate Aston Villa next season?
Champions League qualification may seem far-fetched, but the state of flux several of English football’s modern powerhouses find themselves in perhaps opens the door for a top-four charge if Lopetegui can hit the ground running at the London Stadium.
Should Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham all fall short again – while Villa may be distracted with their involvement in the Champions League – it is not impossible that the Hammers could spring a surprise in 2024/25.
In other West Ham news, the club have been urged to use Arsenal’s “unbelievable” transfer model.
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