I must confess that I didn’t have any strong opinions about Julen Lopetegui before he was linked with the top job at West Ham.
The Spaniard wasn’t on my list of contenders to replace former manager David Moyes, so I had to rely on others’ opinions to learn what we were getting.
There were many positives about Lopetegui’s time at Sevilla, and his stint as Spain’s national team head coach was particularly impressive. However, two concerns stood out as reasons to be cautious about his appointment.
Firstly, it was suggested that his style of football was not particularly exciting, a criticism that also followed Moyes. Secondly, his reluctance to promote youth players was concerning, especially given West Ham’s crop of talented academy graduates.
These concerns initially faded from my mind, especially when so many young players were included in preseason. I reasoned that J-Lo’s inclusion of Freddie Potts and Lewis Orford in midfield disproved the criticism aimed at him by naysayers.
However, I find myself growing concerned again. Whilst I never expected West Ham to field a squad full of young players, I was hoping for some balance. The absence of Luis Guilherme is the first alarm bell, but the decision to offer a trial to 31-year-old journeyman John Egan has really caught my attention.
Lopetegui looked to include youngsters in pre-season
Kick in the teeth for academy prospect
My thoughts immediately turned to talented defender Kaelan Casey, who must be wondering what is going on at the club. Currently, Casey is the fifth-choice central defender and is unlikely to see much action this season.
Nonetheless, even Casey would likely accept being further down the pecking order if West Ham were signing a World Cup winner like Mats Hummels. But instead, the club seems to be showing more faith in a centre-back who has spent most of his career in the lower leagues.
Egan was registered with Sheffield United last season but rarely featured due to injury. The tough-tackling but slow defender is set to play in a training match against Dagenham and Redbridge as a trial, aiming to earn a contract after a potential move to Burnley fell through. I’m quite sure Casey and his representatives are far too professional to say anything but it must feel like a kick in the teeth.
Not that I have anything against the fella, but personally, I hope we don’t sign Egan. Beneath yesterday’s glossy Hammers PR about Lewis Orford’s new contract, there seems to be bad news brewing for the Hammers’ academy prospects.
The little that I have seen of Casey suggested firmly to me that he is not ready for PL football.
It’s far too early to be advocating a skinny 19 year old as a realistic PL CB. Let’s harden the lad up in the Championship or League one before we let the lad get ruined by PL strikers…
In the Sheffield united v West Ham game in the not too distant past. It was a two all draw but Egan gave a penalty away with a clumsy challenge on Danny Ings. To be fair though I can’t remember much about his play other than that. He might have been brilliant for all I know. I was wrong about Craig Dawson so if he came in I’d give him a chance. He’d only be fourth choice anyway and how many top defenders are going to be prepared to be a fourth choice back up. Egan has premier league experience. As good as Casey might be in the future at this moment in time he is unproven apart from the short time he got under Moyes at the end of last season. Might be a bit too early to throw him in just yet.
As with Moyes, Lopetegui also seems to have his favourites and doesn’t challenge them if there form drops by replacing them with squad and particularly the younger academy players. It’s disappointing they weren’t giving an opportunity against Bournemouth just to rotate them all because it’s a very long season. I think Pep at City uses certain players up until Christmas so the ones he needs for the run in are kept fresh and can kick on whilst other team’s struggle at the end of the season.
I completely agree Gonzo. Great transfer window so far but signing Egan would be a real kick in the teeth for our Academy prospects. Of course they need to be sent on loan but when most signings have been 3 years or more contracts where are the pathways to our first team when those loans end?
Fairly sure Mark Noble would have at least been consulted, or asked his opinion.
Seeing how outspoken he was regarding Grady Diangana, I don’t imagine he’d have given positive feedback on a potential manager who would overlook academy potentials.
We all need to let the dust settle, and allow the new manager time to stamp his mark on the team.
All the loanees seem have gone to clubs where they’ll get proper game time, and hardening up for the physicality of the men’s game.
If Moyes had signed Fulkrug, Soler & Rodrigues there would have been huge criticism of signing older players past their best. We signed a young player Guillerme for lots of money but apparently were unwilling to meet the required fee for Duran – who would have been an exciting signing. Dont sign an old player but give Casey a chance albeit as 4th choice. If not now, when???
I agree
Lopetegui is employed, first and foremost, to win football matches. This perpetual argument about successive managers having an inbuilt dislike of young players is total nonsense. Declan Rice quickly became a regular because his football justified it. Ben Johnson got game time as a back up, which again was commensurate with his ability and, interestingly, he seems to be fulfilling a similar role at Ipswich. As for all the other recent great ‘hopes’, that many people were wanting in the first team, the ones that have moved on, none have made a breakthrough in the Premier League.
Lopetegui, Noble and the coaching staff are earning millions in the Premier League for a reason. They are good judges when it comes to footballers and our academy players will get game time if and when their ability justifies it. How about we just let the manager and his team get on with it.
The academy players are a whole world away from being start them in the first team standard. By and large they don’t make it to that standard anywhere even when they go directly to other premier league clubs to continue their development.
The academy is not a reliable source of first team starters although it probably makes a profit in development fees.
I share your view of Egan, not anything like the quality of Hummels or a fit Matip, but possibly the best available once the window has closed. There was an awful lot to do this window and the final piece of it didn’t get done.
I’d be inclined to get through to the Winter window as Alvarez can play centre back if it was required which might well be not.
Well said Steve and John, at the moment Gonzo seems to be picking at absolutely anything and everything he can find to have a moan about. Another reason J-Lo probably isn’t changing the team much is because he gets to see them train, knows their current level of fitness, if they have any small niggles or injuries, and on top of that he will also know who is adjusting to his system of play better and their abilities within that system. He will also want to play his best 11 until things get more settled. J-Lo and the coaches are still getting to know the players, but apparently Gonzo knows best! If the academy players are good enough, they will get to play, that has been proven before, but like always you lot at C&H are more impatient than anyone as it gives you something to post. Just remember you aren’t journalists, even though I’m sure you sometimes think you are. You have no more insight into what goes on behind closed doors than I do, well maybe not quite true. I probably have a lot more insight than most considering my past! I thought you were meant to be West Ham fans, but all you seem to do recently is write irrelevant articles about David Moyes and air past grievances you seem unable to let go of, while continuing to pick and criticise instead of trying to get behind the team. Just pack it in and get back to writing some decent and relevant copy.
Completely agree Gonzo, can’t understand why he would even be considered for a trial given his recent injury record and 31 years old. Just reading that Fabrizo Romano sharing news that Man City have signed another of our Academy prospects. Really struggling to see how signing older players on long contracts will allow our Academy graduates pathway to first team when they return from loans at end of this season. Would much prefer to see Kaelan Casey given opportunity instead of Egan.
I don’t doubt that you would prefer to see “Kaelen Casey given opportunity” but West Ham is a professional football team attempting to be competitive in the hardest league in the world. It is not the local amateur community club charged with giving minutes to whoever turns up! There is already an open pathway to the first team for ANY player at the club. If they are good enough they will surface in the first team. Casey will be given his opportunity when Lopetegui deems his training and u21 performances merit it.
West Ham need to win football matches and that necessitates picking the best players for each occasion whether they be17 or 37. Gonzo and others blindly running with this ‘play the kids’ baton will be the first to complain if we do and then don’t finish in the top 6 or 7 and don’t qualify for Europe!!! Just let Lopetegui pick his best team and let the rest of us get on with supporting that team.
100% agree, can’t believe Guilherme didn’t get a look in against Bournemouth in the cup. How bad have we got to play before it happens.
We have two Steves posting – very confusing 😳.
Given that you “can’t believe Guilherme didn’t get a look in against Bournemouth “ presumably you have been very impressed with his performances in training and training matches? As us ‘normal’ fans don’t have such privileged access to the players perhaps I should bow to your superior knowledge? Or, perhaps, you actually have no idea how he is performing in training and you effectively spouting rubbish? I know on which option my money would go.
Totally agree .i personally was hoping we were going down the red bull..brighton model.but we are just swapping our over the hill players .for other teams.and the young players in the academy. Are being poached by man city ect.. our 3 forward s got over 100 years between them.
So Bib, out of all of the academy players that have been “poached by Man City etc.” which ones do you regret going and which ones do you think would have been strutting their stuff in our first team if they had stayed?