Six West Ham United defenders could leave the London Stadium this summer
West Ham United could lose six defenders from their squad this summer as Julen Lopetegui plans a rebuild of the squad, according to The Athletic.
Ben Johnson, Aaron Cresswell and Angelo Ogbonna are all out of contract at the end of the season and are expected to leave, with the Italy international contemplating retirement while Johnson has rejected new offers and Cresswell has hardly featured.
On top of those exits, Vladimir Coufal is also open to offers from elsewhere after a fallout over his contract, while Nayef Aguerd “would like to leave” after losing his place to Dinos Mavropanos this season amid interest from Saudi Arabia and France.
Thilo Kehrer is also expected to leave after a successful loan at Monaco, with the Ligue 1 side having the option to make the deal permanent and they’re expected to trigger it.
Huge summer set at West Ham United
With David Moyes leaving the club and expected to be replaced by Julen Lopetegui, there is a lot of work to come in the summer window.
The Spanish coach will be keen to put his stamp on the squad immediately, and the contract situation of several players also means that it is the perfect time for a rebuild to take place.
Six defenders is a huge gap to fill in the squad, especially considering there are going to be other areas of the squad that need to be addressed, but if the club are expecting the change they can at least plan for it.
Lopetegui will have an idea of who he wants to bring in, and Tim Steidten will surely be aware of the happenings at the club and planning for the situation to ensure the club aren’t left behind at the start of the campaign.
Fans will be expectant with the new manager for a fast start, and there will be a new look squad at the London Stadium next season.
In other West Ham news, Paul Merson has dropped an “unbelievable” verdict on Julen Lopetegui that will shock Hammers fans.
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