Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui may quit over transfers so could his good friend David Moyes follow suit at West Ham amid an unworkable situation?
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui has a strong relationship with West Ham boss David Moyes.
It is a somewhat unlikely friendship between the Hammers and Wolves managers. But it is one that goes back a long way.
When former Real Madrid and Spain boss Lopetegui arrived at Wolverhampton Wanderers last season, he named Moyes – whose West Ham team had knocked his Sevilla out of the Europa League the season before – as his closest friend in English football.
“I’ve known David for a long time,” Lopetegui said.
“He was a coach in San Sebastian (Real Sociedad) and they are my team. They are from my country and my part of Spain, and after we have had a very good relationship.
“When I was the national team coach, we spoke a lot, and then last year, we played against West Ham with Sevilla. He has done a fantastic job in England and with West Ham.”
Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui may quit over transfers so could his good friend David Moyes follow suit at West Ham?
Could the like-mindedness between Moyes and Lopetegui extend to how they handle delicate situations at their clubs right now?
Both West Ham and Wolves are seriously struggling to make signings in the summer transfer window.
Wolves have sold Nathan Collins, Ruben Neves and Raul Jimenez without replacing them. The only official signings have come as a result of Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traore making their loan deals permanent and free transfers Matt Doherty and Tom King, a 28-year-old goalkeeper from Northampton Town, joining.
That in itself is a lot more than Moyes had been able to do at West Ham. The Hammers are in a league of their own as the only Premier League club yet to make a single signing for their first team this summer.
West Ham have sold captain Declan Rice and released Manuel Lanzini. And the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell are also being linked with moves away – the latter to Wolves in a deal that has, for now, stalled over the fee.
Technical director pulls rank at West Ham – so could it be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Moyes as pal Lopetegui threatens to walk?
Now Wolves boss Lopetegui may quit over transfers so could his good friend Moyes follow suit at West Ham?
The Mirror claims Lopetegui is considering his position and could quit Wolves over the lack of spending.
And overnight it has emerged that West Ham’s new technical director Tim Steidten has blocked Moyes’ move for prime target James Ward-Prowse.
The transfer stand-off between the Hammers duo has been blamed for West Ham’s barren – bordering on negligible – window thus far.
So could the principled Scot, who is in the last year of his contract at West Ham, follow by threatening to do the same?
Moyes stated on several occasions last season ‘it would not be the end of the world’ if he were to be sacked by West Ham.
With his captain departed, two more of his assistants gone and not replaced, no signings and targets veto’d, Moyes may decide his work here is done
Reports claim he feels the board should be backing him with signings he wants after what he has done for the club.
So the fact his moves have been veto’d have created a very difficult situation at the London Stadium just one week away from the first game of the new season.
If Moyes feels betrayed, who is to say he won’t take a similar stance to Lopetegui?
Especially having also lost assistants Mark Warburton and Paul Nevin this summer.
Cynics might suggest West Ham are making Moyes’ position unbearable in the hope he might leave which would save the club paying up the last year of his deal.
But if Moyes does walk away at this late stage of pre-season, it could leave West Ham in a mess of their own making with no clear plan of who to appoint as a replacement.
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