West Ham United getting ‘top’ manager in Lopetegui, says Guillem Balague
Julen Lopetegui will arrive at West Ham United as “one of the top managers in Europe”, according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
Balague said that Lopetegui’s prior achievements, particularly at Sevilla, will stand him in good stead as he takes over a West Ham squad with a proven capability of challenging in Europe.
West Ham announced yesterday (6 May) that David Moyes would depart the club, with Lopetegui also agreeing a deal to take the Scot’s place at the end of the season.
Speaking to BBC Radio London, Balague said of Lopetegui’s record: “What he did at Sevilla was extraordinary.
“He maximised the potential of that team and took them to the Champions League.”
He listed further credentials, saying Lopetegui has; “a lot of energy, a lot of ideas. From the Johan Cruyff school, but versatile enough to actually understand what a team requires depending on the players he’s got.
“You are talking, I insist, about one of the top managers in Europe.”
Lopetegui tipped to transform West Ham by Balague
West Ham will farewell Moyes in order to make way for Lopetegui’s appointment at the London Stadium, with the Scot leaving solid foundations for the Spaniard to build on next season.
Although their quest to secure a fourth successive campaign of European football has faltered towards the back end of this season, Lopetegui still arrives at a club who have undergone a sea-change in expectations and performances over the last few years.
Balague highlighted Lopetegui’s continental credentials, and as the defending UEFA Conference League champions, Hammers fans will be hoping it’s the perfect appointment for them to get back into European competition and make a statement once there.
Barely in the door at Wolves long enough to make much of an impact, Lopetegui will be in for the long haul at the London Stadium, and if he can have the same transformative effect as Moyes has had at West Ham, the Irons could be in for a sustained period of success both on and off the pitch.
In other West Ham news, the club have been called “embarrassing” for their treatment of David Moyes.
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