Stuart Pearce accepts West Ham United fans will disagree with what he’s had to say on club
Stuart Pearce expects West Ham United supporters to disagree with his claim that the current squad is the strongest in the club’s history.
The Hammers currently sit in twelfth place in the Premier League after seven matches, with the 4-1 win against Ipswich Town only the second victory under Julen Lopetegui.
Pearce, however, offered his verdict on the West Ham squad live on talkSPORT [15 October, 6:10pm] and believes Lopetegui has the best squad ever to turn things around in East London.
He said: “The business they did in the summer was very good. Some of the signings are supplementing what they already have in [Mohammed] Kudus, [Lucas] Paqueta, [Jarrod] Bowen, etc. It’s a really good squad of players.”
Asked what he has made of Julen Lopetegui’s first few months in charge, Pearce added: “People expect too much at times but I’m buoyed by where they are at the moment.
“You could say this is the strongest group of players, on paper, the club have every had. I’m sure West Ham fans will disagree with me.
“But when you look at how much you can sell some of these players for – you couldn’t have done that in the past.”
Julen Lopetegui needs to get the best out of West Ham United
The win against Ipswich was a monumental result for West Ham, not only for Lopetegui but for the players who have since underperformed massively compared to their usual standards this season.
Lopetegui is facing a defining period for his Hammers tenure after the international break. His side must start picking up results, with senior figures within the London Stadium reportedly unsatisfied with the progress made since David Moyes’ removal [Dean Jones].
Bowen, Paqueta and Kudus all returned to the scoresheet last time out. Lopetegui will need his attacking trio to continue their new-found goalscoring form in tough ties against Tottenham and Manchester United.
The quality of the attacking talent is undoubted in East London, with Bowen becoming an undisputed fan favourite among the West Ham faithful.
Kudus, meanwhile, has been touted to have the potential to become a future Galactico at Real Madrid, similarly with Paqueta, albeit the Brazilian’s links with the LaLiga giants are somewhat “unusual”.
All three could easily recoup a combined fee north of the £200million mark should the Irons choose to cash in at any given point in the future, only backing Pearce’s claims.
However, Hammers supporters will undoubtedly like to see the trio continue their careers at the London Stadium.
Lopetegui is more likely to be shown the door at West Ham if he cannot find a way to get the best out of his newly assembled side and the players who excelled under David Moyes last term.
It is truly now or never for the Spaniard.
In other West Ham news, the Irons’ final league position has been predicted by a supercomputer ahead of the Tottenham clash.
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