LONDON: The shape of new coach Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham has begun to emerge after a busy week in the transfer market headed by the £23m signing of Niclas Füllkrug from Borussia Dortmund.
West Ham have not enjoyed the presence of an attack leader like Füllkrug for a long time. He was identified by technical director Tim Steidten as a player who, despite being 31, could help the Hammers play a positive brand of football in the new season more in keeping with the club’s traditions rather than the cautious style adopted by David Moyes.
The Scot, to be fair, did not have significant money to spend but transfer market support was one of Lopetegui’s demands ahead of his second Premier League stint after saving Wolves from the threat of relegation in 2022-23.
Lopetegui won the European U-19 and U-21 titles with Spain and then the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla in 2020. He is one of four Premier bosses from the northern Spanish football hotbed of Gipuzkoa, along with Unai Emery, Mikel Arteta and Andoni Iraola.
The 57-year-old’s preferred formation is a balanced 4-3-3 into which Fullkrug would fit perfectly on his first adventure outside the Bundesliga. Other new arrivals who fit Lopetegui’s plans are Guido Rodríguez, Argentina’s defensive midfielder from Betis and winger Crysencio Summerville from Leeds. Summerville, 22, old scored 21 goals in all competitions last season and was named second tier player of the year.
These new boys will take West Ham to six signings after the £25m Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras, the £40m defender Max Kilman from Wolves and ex-Sheffield United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham. West Ham are also in talks with Manchester United over Aaron Wan-Bissaka who has a year left on his contract.
All this activity means West Ham may be open to offers for any one out of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Michail Antonio.
Bowen, with 16 goals, was the only West Ham player to reach double figures last season. Michail Antonio filled in at centre-forward under Moyes after the failures of expensive striker signings such as Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca. However the former Nottingham Forest forward he is 33 and struggled with injuries.
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