West Ham chiefs to blame for Julen Lopetegui debacle as pressure already on Graham Potter - The Mirror

Graham Potter is set to replace Julen Lopetegui at West Ham after a disappointing eight months at the London Stadium but Hammers club chiefs have plenty of questions to answer

Julen Lopetegui was doomed from the start and the only mystery is why it took West Ham so long to sack him.

Lopetegui has an impressive managerial CV - including Spain and Real Madrid - but his football hardly set the world alight at Wolves. So, what on earth were they thinking? The West Ham fans are proud of the fact they want entertaining, expansive football.

We might mock it, laugh at the so-called “West Ham way” but fans are entitled to have a view on the club’s identity. I love it. That is why appointing Graham Potter as his successor feels like a big risk and yet if it works then he will introduce a good brand of football.

I get the sense that some of the fanbase are not convinced by Potter who has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in April 2023. But at least he has a chance. Lopetegui arrived last summer with fans scratching their heads in bemusement wondering whether the club’s hierarchy knew something they didn’t.

At the heart of this is the football debate. Surely no-one can doubt the incredible job David Moyes did at West Ham. He led them into Europe and won a European trophy.

But the fans wanted more. So what did the club do? They hired Lopetegui who is well regarded in Spain but was never going to play the exciting football the West Ham supporters craved. He was another Moyes.

Even worse, West Ham suddenly lacked a passion and an intensity in games. Suddenly it was worse than Moyes. Were the players really listening? It did not look like it in performances. Furthermore, it did not look as if they were really fighting for the manager when he was under the cosh.

Their best performance under Lopetegui was the win at Newcastle. But you cannot ship nine goals in two back-to-back games against Liverpool and Manchester City. They played better against City but it’s still no excuse.

Will Graham Potter be a success with West Ham? Share your thoughts in the comments below

The player recruitment has been poor, money wasted and Lopetegui cannot take all of the blame. But he’s entitled to a huge share. This is a club which is about passion, the fans and beating the odds. Listen to their club anthem “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles.” The lacklustre, tepid performances under Lopetegui could not have been further away from the club’s values.

It is shocking and there must be some soul searching at West Ham among the hierarchy after such a bad, ill-judged and reckless appointment. This is an interesting one for Potter. They courted him last month and then decided to stick rather than twist. That’s hardly a ringing endorsement.

Now, they are going for it. Potter did a brilliant job at Brighton and earned his spurs at Swansea and Ostersund. He is not your typical manager. He’s a deep thinker, a nice guy and very compelling.

Most importantly, he tries to play good football. The job he did at Brighton is exactly what West Ham want. Good football, good players and a push for Europe.

Chelsea undoubtedly scarred him. The pressure was huge. He was never in the frame for England even though that job clearly appealed to him. He stalled when Leicester were keen and there have been other opportunities.

He really needs to get back in now otherwise he will become the new Alan Curbishley. Always linked, never hired. If West Ham get the Brighton Potter then they’ve made a great appointment. If they don’t then it will not work. That’s the gamble.

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