As a coach, my goal is to constantly improve and strive for excellence.

Julen Lopetegui, the 57-year-old Spaniard, has been appointed as the new head coach of West Ham. He will officially begin his role on July 1, taking over from David Moyes, who recently ended his second spell in charge after winning the Europa Conference League title in 2023.

Lopetegui has been out of football since leaving Wolves before the start of the 2023/24 season. However, he has an impressive track record, having won the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla in 2020. He also had stints at Real Madrid and as the head coach of Spain’s national team.

His main objective will be to guide West Ham back into European competition after the club finished ninth in the Premier League last season. Lopetegui expressed his excitement about the opportunity, stating, “I feel that we have a fantastic platform. My ambition as a coach is always to be better and achieve more. We are very ambitious about this.”

Lopetegui emphasized his commitment to West Ham, saying, “I am where I want to be. We had other opportunities, but I am very happy that West Ham chose me because I chose West Ham too.” He added, “We came here with the idea and the thought to make a big, big noise.”

The length of Lopetegui’s contract has not been confirmed by West Ham. However, he has already assembled a new backroom team, with several first-team coaches leaving the club. Lopetegui’s team includes Pablo Sanz as Assistant Head Coach, Oscar Caro as Head of Performance & Assistant Coach, Juan Vicente Peinado as Head of Analysis & Assistant Coach, Borja De Alba as Fitness Coach, and Edu Rubio as Technical Coach.

Technical director Tim Steidten praised Lopetegui, stating, “Julen lives and breathes football. He thinks deeply about the game, he is tactically astute, and he has shown his outstanding qualities in different leagues and with national teams.”

Lopetegui will join his new players for pre-season training in early July and will lead the team on their tour of the United States, where they will face his former club Wolves and Crystal Palace.