West Ham United unveiled former Spain, Sevilla, Porto, Real Madrid and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Julen Lopetegui as the Club's new Head Coach on Thursday. Here's some of the best reaction from social media...
BREAKING: Julen Lopetegui has been appointed as West Ham's new head coach ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/4yvrfgKQtz
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 23, 2024
The new boss has already made a big impression with his first interview as a Hammer - as first shown on our official channels.
"We came here with the idea and the thought to make a big, big noise." 🔊
Hear more from Julen Lopetegui as he sets out his plans in his new role as head coach at @WestHam 👇https://t.co/HNEgtQbINH— Premier League (@premierleague) May 23, 2024
The former UEFA Europa League winner revealed his tie with Sevilla in that competition at London Stadium stayed with him as he made his decision to come to the capital.
"My thought was - one day I would like to stay here as a coach" 💬
West Ham's newly announced head coach Julen Lopetegui recalls the last time he visited London Stadium in 2022 👇 pic.twitter.com/3ybfg4QJnZ— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 23, 2024
What kind of style could he adopt with the Hammers? This piece took a look at the Spaniard's methods...
“Julen is a top coach — for me, the best I have worked with. It was like classical music to rock and roll.”
What West Ham can expect from Julen Lopetegui: A methodical tactician obsessed with control. #WHUFC https://t.co/hrb60FTOvH— Roshane Thomas (@RoshaneSport) May 23, 2024
While other commentators are convinced he will fit the Hammers perfectly...
Lopetegui is accustomed to working within West Ham’s new recruitment structure, has Premier & Champions League experience, knows how to handle big name players (De Gea/Thiago) & did a fine job at Wolves/Sevilla. Plus no compensation.
In a tough Managerial market, a good pick up. https://t.co/F7SnsFCNRx— Talking Tactics (@TalkinTactics) May 23, 2024
And these supporters liked what they saw in their first impressions of the new man...
Speaks very well as expected. A quality that impresses me most about Lopetegui is that he’s obsessed with improvement and he will do everything to achieve that. With patience and time he can be a big success at West Ham. Important we get behind him from the start. https://t.co/NcbvZyYScB
— Dan Woffenden (@danwoff98) May 23, 2024
Meanwhile, Lopetegui's appointment adds to a quirk around his home region of the Basque Country and Premier League managers
Following today’s appointment a fifth of managers in the English Premier League are from the Basque Country, born within 50 miles of each other.
Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Unai Emery - Aston Villa
Andoni Iraola - Bournemouth
Julen Lopetegui - West Ham
And that’s without Xabi Alonso pic.twitter.com/AN7Wz9CWOU— Joel Rookwood (@Joelrookwood) May 23, 2024
