As we embark on the start of the 2024/25 Premier League season, West Ham United have grabbed the headlines with their ambitious recruitment- both on and off the pitch.
Having guided the Hammers to Europa Conference League glory in 2023, David Moyes’ tenure in East London finally drew to a close this summer.
Fans appreciated his years of leadership but yearned for a greater level of tactical innovation.
The appointment of Julen Lopetegui as his successor has marked the beginning of a new era for West Ham, with their subsequent transfer business aiming to elevate the overall quality within the squad, matching heightened ambitions of future success on the continental stage.
Lopetegui’s West Ham have already made an enormous splash when it comes to signings this summer, as their transfer spend approaches the £120m mark with plenty of time left in the window for more additions.
It is a testament to the excellent influence of West Ham’s technical director, Tim Steidten, with the German spearheading a thorough analysis and recruitment strategy emphasising a healthy balance between talented youth prospects and impactful players with European pedigree.
Our West Ham recruitment analysis will shed light on some of West Ham’s biggest captures across this summer window, highlighting their unique skill sets and how they may complement Lopetegui’s style of play by delving into the underlying data and statistics.
West Ham Under Julen Lopetegui Tactics
Despite his frosty exit from Wolves at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, Julen Lopetegui’s brief time in the Black Country allowed us to understand how his possession-based tactical approach could translate to the Premier League.
The Spaniard was incredibly successful at Sevilla when it came to continental success in the Europa League, but guiding a relegation-bound Wolves side back to safety demonstrated his qualities in overhauling a squad in an incredibly pressurised situation.
Several key principles can recognise a Lopetegui side, contributing to a ball-dominant approach in his preferred 4-3-3 formation.
His style of play may not be as refreshing as West Ham fans would’ve wanted.
Still, the new-look Hammers will surely have elevated defensive stability and enjoy greater technical prowess as they try to break down their opposition.
In fact, Moyes’ goalscoring statistics in his second spell as West Ham manager exceed that of Lopetegui during his time in Spain, with the Scotsman’s side having scored 1.47 goals per game as opposed to Sevilla’s 1.38.
It is evident that West Ham already addressed such issues when deciding to back Lopetegui in this summer window.
The first signing we will highlight provides an excellent forward profile to break the curse of misfiring forwards at the London Stadium.
Niclas Füllkrug
The arrival of Niclas Füllkrug marked a huge statement of intent for Lopetegui’s West Ham, with the German arriving after an impressive club season with Borussia Dortmund and some impactful cameo appearances for Germany at Euro 2024.
Füllkrug represents the traditional striking profile that West Ham have been crying out for, with the 31-year-old expressing his clinical nature with 0.49 xG per 90 in the Bundesliga last season.
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