An astonishing new claim has been made casting doubt on Julen Lopetegui’s move to West Ham as David Moyes’ replacement.
West Ham officially announced David Moyes will be leaving the club in a statement last Monday.
Many expected confirmation might follow that Julen Lopetegui will succeed the Scot in the Hammers hotseat.
Nothing has been forthcoming since, though.
We are told – as reported elsewhere – that no official announcement will be made on Lopetegui until the season is over out of respect for Moyes.
While it is widely accepted Lopetegui is signed sealed and delivered as West Ham’s 18th permanent manager, speculation in some quarters has continued to link him with Bayern Munich.
The German giants find themselves in a ridiculous situation.
Doubt cast on Lopetegui’s move to West Ham
They announced Thomas Tuchel would be leaving a year early this summer. A decision which saw him also become an alleged West Ham target.
Bayern have been turned down by a host of managers since, though. Ralf Rangnick, Tuchel’s predecessor Julian Nagelsmann have snubbed the club’s advances.
Even Tuchel himself has rejected attempts to change his mind on leaving.
Bayern have also approached Lopetegui’s representatives as well as those of newly-appointed Palace boss Oliver Glasner.
And to think people accused West Ham of taking a scattergun to the manager market.
Now an astonishing new claim has cast doubt on Lopetegui’s move to West Ham.
Desperate times call for desperate measures
In two separate articles Bild am Sonntag questions how concrete the commitment is between Lopetegui and West Ham.
Indeed it is even suggested West Ham are still considering trying to appoint their former assistant boss Edin Terzic – who has led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final.
If it all seems rather bizarre that’s because it is.
Our information is very much that Lopetegui is the man and will be announced in due course once the tributes and goodbyes to Moyes are published in the days after the season finale at Man City this Sunday.
They say there is no smoke without fire.
That is often true in football so what about these German Lopetegui claims?
Well it appears nothing more than the result of the current situation at Bayern.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
And that’s exactly what Bayern are right now.
It seems it might be nothing more than a last ditch attempt to unsettle Lopetegui or his entourage and open the door for another shot at the Spaniard.
Guillem Balague has repeatedly claimed Bayern’s interest in Lopetegui is genuine.
But it never went beyond the German club ‘finding out his situation’.
Sources say Spaniard has signed three-year deal
That “situation” is that he has already agreed to be West Ham’s new manager on what we believe will be a three-year contract.
We are also led to believe that contract was signed last Wednesday evening – as also reported by talkSPORT.
Lopetegui has been working with technical director Tim Steidten since to identify targets ahead of what is a huge summer overhaul for West Ham.
So it seems the horse has already very much bolted on Bayern’s – or Bild’s – hopes Lopetegui might yet be lured away from the Hammers at the 11th hour.
It may not be the last we hear of this, though.
If Lopetegui does well at West Ham – as we all hope he will – then Bayern’s genuine interest could re-emerge in the coming seasons.
So West Ham’s best hopes of keeping him should things work out, is to match the 57-year-old’s ambition.
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