After parting company with David Moyes, West Ham United moved quickly to replace the Scotsman, appointing Julen Lopetegui as the Hammers’ new head coach.
Lopetegui, who was previously in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers, will officially begin work with West Ham from 1 July, after they finished the 2023/24 season in ninth spot with 52 points.
He will be joined by compatriots Pablo Sanz (assistant head coach), Oscar Caro (head of performance/assistant coach), Juan Vicente Peinado (head of analysis/assistant coach), Borja De Alba (fitness coach) and Edu Rubio (technical coach).
All five have worked with the 57-year-old previously during his coaching career with Porto, Spain, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Wolves.
In this article, we look at Lopetegui’s appointment from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
JULEN LOPETEGUI: IN QUOTES
“We will try to put our stamp on the club. I feel that we have a fantastic platform. I think the last few years have been very good years to have this base, of course, but 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. We came here with the idea and the thought to make a big, big noise.” – Julen Lopetegui
“He was a stand-out candidate to become our head coach and I am personally delighted that we have chosen to work together. His career shows that, wherever he has coached, he has improved players and teams, and we are looking forward to seeing him work with our squad. Julen lives and breathes football. He thinks deeply about the game, he is tactically astute and he has shown he can adapt to work in different leagues, in different countries, with national teams, and in each situation, he has shown his outstanding qualities. Julen is highly experienced in the way we will now work at West Ham United and I am looking forward to working with him to grow a successful future for the club.” – Tim Steidten, West Ham technical director
JULEN LOPETEGUI: THE HISTORY
| Team | Start-end date | Played | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % | Honours |
| Wolves | Nov 22 > Aug 23 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 38 | 37.04 | |
| Sevilla | Jun 19 > Oct 22 | 170 | 90 | 44 | 36 | 247 | 163 | 52.94 | Europa League (2020) |
| Real Madrid | Jul 18 > Oct 18 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 20 | 42.86 | |
| Spain | Jul 16 > Jun 18 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 61 | 13 | 70 | |
| Porto | Jul 14 > Jan 16 | 78 | 53 | 16 | 9 | 159 | 54 | 67.95 |
Julen Lopetegui started his senior management career at Porto in 2014, having previously worked in Spain’s youth set-up.
He led the Portuguese club to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in his debut season, but was later sacked midway through the following campaign after their first defeat in the Primeira Liga for nearly a year and a group stage exit in Europe.
Lopetegui was then named manager of Spain. In two years at the helm of his national team, they did not lose a single game, but he was sacked on the eve of the 2018 FIFA World Cup after Real Madrid announced they had agreed a deal to appoint him for the following season.
However, he left Real Madrid after just 14 games in charge – winning six and losing six – before joining Sevilla in 2019, with whom he won the UEFA Europa League in 2020 and guided to three successive top-four finishes in La Liga.
Then, in November 2022, he inherited a Wolves squad that sat rock bottom of the Premier League table. He led them to 10 league wins and a comfortable mid-table finish, but he clashed with chairman Jeff Shi over summer transfer plans and chose to walk away on the eve of the new campaign.
JULEN LOPETEGUI: PLAYING STYLE/TACTICS
“Above all, I aspire for my team to have a defined personality, and clear tactics so that during the game we know how to come up with the best solutions. For that to happen, each player’s commitment and understanding of the game is essential.” – Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui is considered a defensive-minded coach. His teams are solid and difficult to break down, but they rarely thrill.
Wolves, for example, scored just 23 goals across his 23 Premier League games. Most alarming of all, however, was the fact they ranked bottom for big chances and minutes per expected goal (xG).
His teams do impress defensively, though. In his final season at Sevilla, they conceded fewer goals than anyone else, with 30. They also kept a whopping 22 clean sheets.
| Season | Club | Goals scored (La Liga rank) | Goals conceded (La Liga rank) |
| 2021/22 | Sevilla | 53 (6th) | 30 (1st) |
| 2020/21 | Sevilla | 53 (7th) | 33 (3rd) |
| 2019/20 | Sevilla | 54 (5th) | 34 (3rd) |
Tactically, Lopetegui’s sides are most commonly set up in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation.
The approach features flying full-backs who like to bomb forward, a narrow midfield three, and wide attackers/wingers who tuck in and find space between the lines.
Another characteristic of the Basque coach is his ability to play with or without a pure centre-forward.
JULEN LOPETEGUI: THE FPL PROSPECTS
With players such as Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, Fantasy managers should have options from the West Ham squad come August.
Lopetegui’s reputation for defensive football would perhaps not bode well for the Hammers’ offensive assets, but Bowen proved last season that individual players can still thrive under a pragmatic manager, regardless of the approach.
Bowen racked up 20 goals in all competitions last term (16 in the Premier League) and thrived in big games, with returns against Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Manchester United.
In an ideal scenario, West Ham sign a top centre-forward this summer, freeing Bowen up to play on the right, from where he makes the Hammers tick. He certainly fits the profile of a Lopetegui winger, given his half-space threat.
“Me scoring 20 goals a season has to be the minimum if I want to be spoken about in elite company with the players in my position and earning call-ups to England. If you look at the players in my position, they constantly put those numbers out. For me, it’s about doing it this season and the season after. That’s the standard and benchmark for me now.” – Jarrod Bowen
As for Kudus, he netted eight goals and provided a further nine assists in his debut Premier League campaign and you get the feeling he could step up another level in 2024/25.
That not only depends on Lopetegui, but also key creator Lucas Paqueta. The Brazilian has been charged by the Football Association with alleged breaches of its betting rules and faces a long ban if he is found guilty.
Elsewhere, FPL managers should feel optimistic about what Lopetegui could bring defensively. West Ham were porous at the back last term but the full-backs could perhaps offer value under the Spaniard.
The current options – Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri – combined for 12 attacking returns in 2023/24 but might require an upgrade.
Lopetegui converted winger Jesus Navas into a right-back at Sevilla, for example, so he might want a more dynamic/aggressive profile in these spots. It’s something to keep an eye on during the summer transfer window, as a really good overlapping full-back could be a game-changer.
Meanwhile, Alphonse Areola will be an inviting goalkeeper option if West Ham can plug the holes in defence. Given the club’s poor defensive record in 2023/24, it’s likely he will be available at just £4.5m in FPL.
No European commitments will certainly help West Ham next season, so the club’s pre-season friendlies will be viewed with real interest.
Lopetegui will meet his players when they return for pre-season training in early July. He will then take the Hammers to the United States for a couple of friendlies, meeting former club Wolves and Crystal Palace.
Progress on the pitch, combined with a kind set of opening fixtures, could yet bring one or two of their options into contention.
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