Troy Deeney fumes at West Ham United after behind-the-scenes development, ‘disgrace’
Troy Deeney has called the decision made by West Ham United to replace David Moyes with Julen Lopetegui “a disgrace”.
Moyes is due to step down as West Ham manager at the end of the season, with fans eager to see a more progressive head coach take his place.
However, Deeney does not feel expected replacement Lopetegui fits the profile of what the Hammers supporters have been demanding.
He wrote for The Sun [10 May]: “West Ham’s decision to replace David Moyes with Julen Lopetegui is a disgrace.
“I don’t buy all this, ‘Be careful what you wish for’ nonsense. The fans want a change and they are within their rights to demand that. They want a different style of play, more attacking excitement. But then the fans get lumbered with another defensive-minded coach. I don’t understand it.
“And even worse, this guy quit on Wolves the week before the season started. That’s the question the West Ham players will want answering. Why did you quit? Will you quit on us?
“Lopetegui has a poor record in England. A 37 per cent win rate at Wanderers is hardly stellar. Basically, he’s got a nice Spanish-sounding name, so he is suddenly the best man to replace Moyes and yet Gary O’Neil has done an amazing job with Wolves. It’s classic football snobbery.”
Is Julen Lopetegui the right man to replace David Moyes at West Ham United?
West Ham fans have largely seemed unimpressed with the proposed appointment of Lopetegui as Moyes’ successor.
His time at Wolves has seemed to count against him in the eyes of many, who were hoping for a head coach who would bring a more swashbuckling stylistic approach to the London Stadium.
However, his spells in charge of Spain and Sevilla arguably paint a better picture of Lopetegui’s strengths and style as a manager.
While there are certainly head coaches that employ a more exciting brand of football, Lopetegui does have a proven track record of implementing a dominant, high-possession approach.
That was the case at both Spain and Sevilla, as well as Porto, though he did not get the time he needed to put his ideas into action at Real Madrid, where he was sacked after just 14 games.
WIth La Roja, he was unbeaten in his two years as head coach, while he led Sevilla to the Europa League title in 2019/20 and secured three successive top-four finishes in LaLiga.
It may not be the appoinment Hammers fans wanted, but Lopetegui can certainly help transform West Ham into a more possession-based outfit.
In other West Ham news, Wolves’ stance on Max Kilman has been shared by Fabrizio Romano amid links with the Hammers.
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