West Ham have a new manager! Julen Lopetegui appointment confirmed as ex-Real Madrid boss replaces David Moyes

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Moyes would be departing West Ham upon the completion of his contract. The tactician, who has been instrumental in stabilizing the club, will hand over the reins to Lopetegui, a seasoned manager with an impressive resume, including stints at Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.

Expressing his enthusiasm, Lopetegui stated, “I feel very happy, first of all, to be able to be part of the future of this big club. We will try to put our stamp on the club. My ambition as a coach is always to be better and better, to achieve more and bigger aims and to encourage and improve the players, the team, and to compete because football is about this – to compete. We are very ambitious about this.

“I am where I want to be. I am here because I want to be here and for us it was a fantastic day when we closed our agreement here because our commitment is 100 percent to be here. We had other opportunities but I am very happy that West Ham chose me because I chose West Ham too, so we are really happy about this.”

Joining Lopetegui at West Ham are several key figures from his previous coaching setups. Pablo Sanz will serve as assistant head coach and Oscar Caro as head of performance and assistant coach. However, Xavi Valero will continue in his role as the goalkeeper coach, from the Moyes era.

West Ham’s technical director, Tim Steidten, led the recruitment process, meticulously evaluating several candidates before settling on Lopetegui as the ideal choice. The club had discussions with Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, who travelled to London for meetings, showcasing the thorough approach taken by West Ham in securing the best possible candidate.

Since leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to the 2023-24 season, Lopetegui has turned down offers from various clubs in the Premier League, La Liga, and the Saudi Pro League. Bayern Munich, in search of a successor for Thomas Tuchel, also made inquiries, but the Spaniard turned them down as well. The club's supporters eagerly await the new era under Lopetegui's guidance as they hope for a resurgence in the Premier League standings.