Former Spain boss Julen Lopetegui says he is “very happy” and hopes to make a “big, big noise” after being appointed West Ham manager following David Moyes’ departure.
Ex-Sevilla, Real Madrid, Porto and Rayo Vallecano head coach Lopetegui will return to the Premier League for a second time, having guided Wolves to a 13th-placed finish as part of a tenure lasting less than nine months during the 2022/23 season.
“We will try to put our stamp on the Club,” said Lopetegui. “I feel that we have a fantastic platform. 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 because we our commitment is 100% to be here.
“We came here with the idea and the thought to make a big, big noise. That’s why we came here and we are excited by this challenge. I assure the fans that they are going to be key in all our achievements.”
Say hello to the new Head Coach of West Ham United 👋⁰
Welcome to London, Julen Lopetegui! ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/2aCO0pY3Km— West Ham United (@WestHam) May 23, 2024
Moyes’ four-and-a-half year reign – his second spell in charge of the Hammers – ended on Sunday with a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City, leaving West Ham ninth in the table.
The Scot, who won last season’s Uefa Europa Conference League at the club, announced he was leaving on May 10, with Lopetegui already strongly linked to the role at that point.
A Europa League winner with Sevilla in 2020, Lopetegui will take charge of pre-season training in July, including matches in the US against Crystal Palace and Wolves.
Lopetegui: West Ham boss ‘really happy’
“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,” he added.
Lopetegui won the Uefa Europa League with Sevilla in 2019/20 and the under-21 EURO with La Roja in 2013, a year after leading his country to glory at the the under-19 edition of the tournament.
Now 57, his clubs as a goalkeeper included Real Madrid and Barcelona before ending his playing career at Vallecano, for whom he made more than 100 appearances.
Pablo Sanz will be Lopetegui’s assistant, with coaches Oscar Caro, Juan Vicente Peinado, Borja De Alba and Edu Rubio joining their backroom team. Xavi Valero will continue as goalkeeper coach.
