Julen Lopetegui loses West Ham United dressing room, senior stars unhappy
Julen Lopetegui has lost the support of several of his West Ham United players who are not “fully on board” with his methods, according to talkSPORT.
The news outlet reported on Tuesday [5 November] via its website, that sources have learned several unnamed Hammers stars are not convinced Lopetegui is the right man to lead the side.
West Ham have lost five out of the opening 10 Premier League matches under the Spaniard, culminating in a crushing 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Lopetegui will travel to face Everton on Saturday [9 November] knowing anything less than three points will ultimately end his tenure in East London.
Julen Lopetegui has lost the dressing room at West Ham United
It may come as no surprise to West Ham supporters that the players have lost faith in the boss, his appointment has been a remarkable step back for the club.
While the decision to move on from the David Moyes era arguably suited the long-term vision, comparisons are being drawn between Lopetegui’s style of play and that of his predecessor – this is not the change the supporters had envisioned back in May.
The warning signs have flown relatively under the radar in East London whether the squad is fully behind the boss, but, upon the revelation of the unrest within the side, it makes far too much sense to be untrue.
Lopetegui was prepared to leave Alphonse Areola and Lucas Paqueta out of his starting lineup for the 2-1 win against Manchester United, while the Brazilian retained his spot in the side, Areola has since lost his place to Lukasz Fabianski.
The Spaniard also publicly called on Jarrod Bowen to step up as a leader, a move which now screams as the underfire boss pleading for the captain to show his support.
All eyes will be on Goodison Park on the weekend and which players will try and step up and save Lopetegui’s job for another week at least however, West Ham will undoubtedly appoint a new figurehead, it is just a matter of time of when.
In other West Ham news, Ben Foster reacts to the Hammers controversy after what he saw against Nottingham Forest.
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