West Ham United head coach Julen Lopetegui failed to strengthen his left-back ranks at the London Stadium in the summer.
That came as somewhat of a surprise to me, with West Ham star Emerson Palmieri lacking any kind of quality competition and cover.
Julen Lopetegui had plenty of cash to spend this summer, but chose to prioritise strengthening other departments of his squad.
The Spaniard does have Aaron Cresswell in reserve of course, but he should be nowhere near a Premier League starting XI in my opinion – we should have got rid of him two years ago.
I had initially thought that Lopetegui made a massive mistake by not signing a top-class left-back to compete with Emerson.
However, now I feel like the reason why he didn’t is actually clear to see.
Reason Julen Lopetegui didn’t sign new left-back for West Ham
The Hammers head coach strengthened his squad at the London Stadium beyond all recognition this summer.
Lopetegui spent heavily bolstering pretty much every single department of his squad.
However, the left-back position was seemingly ignored by the Spaniard…or was it?
Having had the benefit of hindsight, I now think the reason why Lopetegui didn’t sign another left-back is actually fairly obvious.
And that reason is super-talented teenager Ollie Scarles.
The Hammers academy product has caught the attention of the fans over the past couple of years, for very good reason.
Scarles has the talent needed to go on and become a star in the Premier League with the Hammers.
Had Lopetegui signed a new left-back to compete with Emerson in the summer transfer window, Scarles’ path to regular first-team football at the London Stadium definitely would have been blocked.
Ollie Scarles – a West Ham talent like no other
The 18-year-old is the latest in a long line of incredible talents to have come through the ranks at West Ham, following the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Mark Noble and Declan Rice.
Julen Lopetegui took Scarles out to America for the club’s pre-season tour of Florida, so the Hammers chief clearly has high hopes for the teenager.
When he made his first-team debut for the Hammers when he was just 16 in 2022, he looked incredibly good, and more than comfortable playing against senior pros
The 18-year-old is a really special young player, and the teenage left-back, who can also play in central midfield, signed a new deal in December 2022.
His technical ability is off the charts, and he has the in-game intelligence needed to succeed at the highest level as well.
Recently, Scarles admitted that he has been bulking up so that he’s physically ready to play against the powerful athletes that have saturated the Premier League.
The 18-year-old is a star in the making, and in my opinion, he’s the real reason why Julen Lopetegui didn’t sign a left-back in the summer.
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