This week marks one month since Julen Lopetegui was sacked by West Ham and it seems he won’t be going quietly.
Given what has gone on at West Ham over the last year, let alone this season, there were always going to be aftershocks.
Dismal form from January 1st 2024 lasted an entire calendar year.
The way the Hammers and David Moyes handled the contract situation and subsequent exit invited criticism and ridicule.
Moyes banned then technical director Tim Steidten from being around the first team and things unravelled.
The Scot departed as one of West Ham’s best managers of modern times.
Fans were hugely underwhelmed when Julen Lopetegui was chosen as his successor.
There was excitement, though, when the club committed over £155m to make nine new signings.
A disastrous reign littered with drubbings, bust-ups and awful football turned out to be the most short-lived of any permanent manager in West Ham’s 130-year history.
Blame game begins after Lopetegui and Steidten sackings
In the end many feel majority owner David Sullivan cut the Spaniard too much slack.
The writing was on the wall when Lopetegui blamed Steidten over West Ham’s struggles, for not giving him the right players.
That interview came as Lopetegui headed into a November international break during which it was expected he’d be sacked.
The 58-year-old former Wolves boss was given a reprieve, though.
Things changed behind the scenes when West Ham’s hardcore away supporter fans called for his head after a 3-1 defeat at Leicester.
Graham Potter was spoken to but didn’t want the job on a short-term basis.
He was put on standby while the Hammers board gave Lopetegui yet another chance.
A run of fortunate results kept the wolves from the door.
But after the drubbing at Man City, Sullivan and co had seen enough.
As was the case with Moyes, Lopetegui had banned Steidten from being around the first team leading up to his sacking.
Lopetegui’s camp hits out over decision to axe him and Steidten
When the Hammers pulled the trigger, word soon emerged that Steidten would be next.
Sullivan demoted the German and took back ultimate control of transfers.
Potter came in and West Ham paid Chelsea £1.2m to reunite him with Kyle Macauley as the club’s new head of recruitment.
It was then officially announced that Steidten had departed the club after deadline day.
Now the inevitable has happened.
The blame game begins as Lopetegui’s camp hits out over decision to axe him and Steidten.
When he was sacked Lopetegui released a classy statement about his time at West Ham.
In a passive-aggressive statement about his exit, West Ham made it clear Steidten was the man behind the failed summer rebuild.
West Ham fans were disappointed by the club’s lack of business in the winter window.
Many have stated that while Steidten clearly made some poor decisions, he did at least get deals done.
West Ham’s biggest problem remains at the club says source
There is also concern now that the Hammers will struggle without a strong transfer negotiator in their ranks.
Supporters are enthused by Potter and the younger profile of player the club has been targeting since Macauley’s arrival.
But there are fears West Ham’s hierarchy won’t go and pay the money to get those targets in the door.
Now sources close to Lopetegui have hit out, saying the decisions to axe him and Steidten won’t solve West Ham’s biggest problem.
That being the structure above them to actually function as a competitive force in the transfer market.
Athletic journalists Roshane Thomas and Guillermo Rai spoke to Lopetegui’s camp about the situation at the club.
The sources agreed to speak to them under anonymity.
And they revealed the axed boss does not believe Potter and Macauley coming in will fix the club’s big issues.
‘Processes above management to blame’
The pair state that there are doubts from sources close to Lopetegui over whether the exits of the Spaniard and now Steidten will have a material impact on West Ham going forward.
Because they believe the planning processes in place above them led to their difficult 2024-25 season.
It is even claimed Steidten is ‘relieved’ to be leaving West Ham.
That seems to be fingers very much pointed in the direction of Sullivan, vice-chair Karren Brady and other members of the Hammers hierarchy.
That will strike a chord with many fans who feel the ownership is ultimately to blame for the mess the club has found themselves in.
But Lopetegui and Steidten must take their fair share of the blame for their obvious failings regardless.
And Moyes for that matter after he allowed a thriving squad that was on the up to grow old and thin as he insisted on controlling transfers.
Something tells me we haven’t heard the last from Lopetegui or Steidten.
Particularly as the ‘pearl diver’ has never been shy of an interview or two in the past, particularly back in his native Germany.
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