Many things Julen Lopetegui did during his ill-fated spell as West Ham boss left fans, pundits and journalists alike baffled.
Now it seems even Julen Lopetegui’s successor Graham Potter is scratching his head.
West Ham fans were far from convinced by the appointment of Lopetegui.
Some Hammers supporters even launched a petition online against the Spaniard being hired as David Moyes’ replacement.
The 58-year-old only ended up at West Ham because Milan’s Ultras launched a protest for the same reason as he was about to be made their new boss.
The ‘Nopetegui’ campaign proved a success and Lopetegui ended up at the London Stadium.
His tenure was the shortest of any permanent manager in West Ham’s 130-year history.
But in reality many felt he should have been sacked at least two months before the Hammers finally pulled the trigger.
Lopetegui’s time in charge was littered with player bust-ups, bizarre decisions and tactics and clear communication problems.
After his sacking, reports emerged lifting the lid on just how bad things had got under the ex Wolves boss.
Potter completely baffled Lopetegui let West Ham star leave
Former Hammer Don Hutchison told Tony Cottee Rush Green had become a dead zone under Lopetegui.
West Ham’s performances were dismal all season as were results.
It says everything that Graham Potter had fans and players believing again just 24 hours into the job.
He took charge of the team at Aston Villa in the FA Cup and the performance was much more in line with the expectations of fans.
Potter has only overseen one win in five games. But the approach and style has been a breath of fresh air – especially given the injuries the new boss has had to contend with.
One of Lopetegui’s most controversial calls of last summer has made big headlines of late.
And Potter is completely baffled Lopetegui let one West Ham star leave.
On deadline day in the summer window one deal raised eyebrows.
It had been on the cards for some months that James Ward-Prowse could leave West Ham following the arrival of Lopetegui.
Interest from Forest came late and a season-long loan was agreed.
After 18 goal contributions in his debut season, Lopetegui’s decision to let Ward-Prowse leave for Forest divided opinion among some fans and observers.
New Hammers boss clearly shocked by predecessor’s decision
But with Carlos Soler and Guido Rodriguez being signed to add to Lucas Paqueta, Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez, the suggestion was that Ward-Prowse was not going to play much.
In fairness, besides set-pieces, Ward-Prowse had seen his contribution in open play and athleticism questioned since joining West Ham.
It shows how bad the Hammers have been that Ward-Prowse’s return last week – following the termination of his disastrous Forest loan – has been celebrated as a major positive by West Ham fans.
On the flip side, and with the benefit of hindsight, there is a justifiable argument that Ward-Prowse offers a lot more than the likes of Rodriguez.
The next few months will show whether Ward-Prowse can have a future at West Ham.
But Potter has raved about the midfielder, clearly suggesting he can’t believe he was allowed to leave in the first place.
The way Potter talks about Ward-Prowse just underlines what a crazy decision Lopetegui made to ship him out in the first place.
Just listening to the new boss rave about the 30-year-old almost stokes the kind of excitement usually reserved for a top quality, young new signing.
‘Ward-Prowse is a really high level player’
“It’s good to have him back with us,” Potter told the press ahead of Ward-Prowse’s return to the Hammers fold for the game against Brentford.
“He adds his experience, his quality all over the pitch, his set-pieces and everything else.
“He’s a really high level, experienced player who knows the Premier League and understands what you need to do every day to be a top player.
“So that’s really helpful for us and we’ve all been really impressed with him so far.”
It’s amazing that Ward-Prowse has somehow become a better player in the minds of some West Ham fans since his departure for Forest.
That’s despite Forest fans being critical of Ward-Prowse for the same reasons.
There is an element of truth to the theory Ward-Prowse can’t do much worse with West Ham languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table.
Time will tell whether Potter can get a similar level of improvement out of him as he has a number of others since his arrival in east London.
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