As far as auditions go, Julen Lopetegui passed his first press conference as West Ham United head coach with flying colours.
The Spaniard, who was announced as David Moyes’ successor in May, was accompanied by technical director Tim Steidten and first-team coach Edu Rubio. In the audience were other members of his backroom staff, his representatives and director Jack Sullivan, son of majority shareholder David Sullivan.
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Lopetegui spoke passionately about his plans for the future, his support of playmaker Lucas Paqueta and not wanting to put a limit on what West Ham can achieve. It was also Steidten’s first time addressing the media since his arrival from German side Bayer Leverkusen in July 2023.
Here are some of The Athletic’s main takeaways from Monday’s press conference…
Money to spend
Steidten and Lopetegui have worked closely to recruit players after the additions of forward Luis Guilherme, from Palmeiras, and goalkeeper Wes Foderingham, following his release from Sheffield United. Steidten and Lopetegui are confident there will be arrivals.
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Steidten was also adamant that West Ham do not have to sell in order to sanction signings this summer. Last Friday the club rejected an offer from Brazilian side Gremio for forward Michail Antonio.
The only noticeable departures are Said Benrahma to Lyon, Thilo Kehrer to Monaco and the releases of Joseph Anang, Divin Mubama and Angelo Ogbonna and Ben Johnson, who has joined Ipswich Town.
“We’re trying to build up the squad,” said Steidten. “We’re not limiting ourselves to one position (forward) — we’re looking at all areas. England is our home ground so we have to be in that market if possible. We are looking elsewhere too — that’s part of our job to find the right players for West Ham. It will be a busy summer for me and Julen. We don’t have to sell in order to buy players this summer.”
Support for Paqueta
Steidten and Lopetegui came to Paqueta’s defence and outlined his importance to the team. The 26-year-old playmaker has been charged by the Football Association (FA) for alleged betting breaches.
Paqueta is accused of getting himself deliberately booked in four Premier League games. If found guilty, he could be banned for life, a fear that is shared internally by senior figures at West Ham.
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In May, the attacker was cleared by the Brazil football federation to play at this summer’s Copa America and he scored in their 4-1 victory over Paraguay.
“We know Lucas and his family have suffered a lot,” said Lopetegui. “But I liked seeing him smile in his last match, because he’s enjoying his football. We are his family, this club is his family, and we’re going to take care of him a lot. We’re looking forward to having him play with us on the pitch.”
Steidten echoed Lopetegui’s sentiments. “I visited Lucas in Brazil and talked to him,” said Steidten. “We’re looking forward to having him back. He’s an important part of our team and a member of our family.”
Help from Moyes
When Moyes returns from his punditry duty at the Euros, he is set to have a catch up with Lopetegui.
“I sent him one message, he answered me, we talked and we said we would have a coffee as soon as possible,” said Lopetegui. “I don’t want to talk about the last years but now is a new time with new ideas, new ends (objectives) for us. We have to think about the present and the future. We say thank you for the past and we look forward.”
Fresh start for academy
Last season West Ham ranked second from bottom in the Premier League for minutes (83) given to players aged 21 or under. Fulham were the lowest with a total of 74 minutes.
One highlight was George Earthy, a midfielder from the under-21s and a member of the FA Youth Cup-winning team, scoring on his Premier League debut against Luton Town.
The 19-year-old midfielder has impressed staff behind the scenes with his attitude and application to training. Earthy, Freddie Potts and other promising prospects will be given a chance to impress during pre-season — West Ham face Dagenham & Redbridge on July 20 before travelling to America to face Wolves and Crystal Palace in Florida.
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“We are going to be very, very aware of the academy players,” said Lopetegui. “They always give you one extra, extra energy for the fans, energy for the cub. We are going to be aware of the real possibility to have academy players, but it has to be a real possibility. If they are ready of course I would be delighted to use these players.”
Ambitions
This will be West Ham’s first season without European football since 2020-21. Lopetegui has stated on numerous occasions he does not want to put a limit on what his team can achieve.
“Our focus and our aim has to be to start the first match,” said Lopetegui. “I love to win, I hate losing and hopefully we’ll develop a winning mentality. I always say that you can dream, but you have to work very hard to achieve your dreams. This is what we are going to do.
“We know the difficulties we are going to have, for sure. We are talking about the best competition in the world — the best team, the best coaches — but we believe in us. We don’t put limits in our minds in this moment.
“I am very happy to be here and I see a lot of friends here that I knew before. I have a lot of reasons to be here. The first is that I am where I want to be. I am in a big club. I am, in my opinion, in the London club. I think we are a club with big potential.
“You can look at the pitch, the stadium, the fans that we have. I think that we have a very good platform — talking about the squad, the team and the players — to be able to do one step and to make a big noise. That is the aim that we want to make here.”
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(Top photo: Julen Lopetegui at his first West Ham press conference; by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images)
