Sam Allardyce names mistake Julen Lopetegui made at West Ham United this summer
Sam Allardyce says West Ham United signed too many players over the summer and that Julen Lopetegui has been unable to connect with his squad.
The Hammers, masterminded by Tim Steidten’s recruitment, overhauled much of their squad during the summer in a bid to turn a new leaf and drive towards an exciting success.
As it has turned out, Lopetegui has often been reluctant to give playing time to the players who have arrived alongside him, and with only three wins in 11, the club sit 14th in the Premier League.
Former Irons boss Allardyce, speaking with David Seaman on his podcast Seaman Says [12 November, 42:46], says David Sullivan’s investment has not worked out, drawing on examples with his own squad at Bolton Wanderers in the early 2000s.
“David [Sullivan] has never spent as much. [Lopetegui] came with a good reputation, and not all foreigners are great coaches like everyone seems to think they are. They soon get forgotten a lot of the time,” he explained.
“He’s struggling badly to connect with the players and when you bring in six or seven new players, it’s very hard.
“At Bolton, after surviving for the first year, I thought these lads couldn’t survive again so I brought eight in, and I nearly got us relegated.”
West Ham United squad looks disjointed
Very rarely does a club rocket up the league in harmonious fashion when changing the entire setup of its footballing operations, along with a large clutch of the squad.
Many questioned whether Julen Lopetegui was the right man to succeed David Moyes, the Spaniard arriving as a head coach rather than a manager as Steidten took the recruitment reins with Sullivan’s cash.
And so far, Lopetegui has failed to resonate with his squad who Allardyce appears to predict are fragmented in the dressing room – as is the case on the pitch.
It would not be at all surprising if it emerged there were several cliques at Rush Green, many of whom would not have full belief in their head coach or the direction the club are attempting to move in.
The next move is a tricky but necessary decision the Hammers have to make: publicly back their man, or be ruthless, cut ties and get the next appointment spot on.
In other West Ham news, more uninspiring news about Niclas Fullkrug.
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