West Ham appoint Julen Lopetegui as new head coach
The 57 year old former Wolves manager has taken over from David Moyes
West Ham have announced that Julen Lopetegui has been appointed as their new Head Coach.
"We will try to put our stamp on the club."
The 57 year old will begin work on the 1st July and succeeds David Moyes, who left the Hammers at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
In a tweet, the East London club said they are "delighted" to announce the appointment of the former Spain, Porto, Real Madrid, and most recently Wolves manager.
Speaking to West Ham TV, Lopetegui said "I feel very happy, first of all, to be able to be part of the future of this big Club," Lopetegui told West Ham TV.
"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."
West Ham technical director Tim Steidten said: "We are very pleased to welcome Julen and his staff to our club.
"He was a stand-out candidate to become our head coach and I am personally delighted that we have chosen to work together."
Analysis: A new era for The Hammers
Despite his departure at the end of the season, David Moyes left West Ham as one of their most successful managers in modern history.
In two spells at the club, Moyes led West Ham to two consecutive top-seven finishes, with the jewel in the crown of his reign being a European trophy - where he guided The Hammers to a Conference League victory.
However, there was perhaps a view amongst fans that a change was needed - with some frustrations around the fanbase about style of football. A feeling began to emerge that a change of direction was needed.
Julen Lopetegui has had a slightly unusual managerial career, but he does bring a track record of success and European pedigree. He won the Europa League with Spanish side Sevilla in 2019-2020, and had an impressive record as manager of the Spanish National Football Team, with a 70% win record.
Premier League will also recognise him from his time at Wolves, where he guided the Midlands away from danger.
Despite this, there have been some inconsistencies in Lopetegui's CV. It was announced that he would become Real Madrid manager whilst still in charge of Spain just days before the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It was an announcement that would ultimately cost the Spanish coach his job as he was sacked before the tournament started. Lopetegui's spell at Real Madrid was also fruitless, and he was dismissed after just 14 games.
Like any new manager in the top-flight of English football, there will be pressure on West Ham's new coach to deliver - and there are perhaps expectations to deliver a more attractive brand of football, alongside continuing to get the best out of their strongest assets, including the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta,