An unused West Ham United teenager is competing “excellently” with senior players in training at Rush Green, and it could only be a matter of time before manager Julen Lopetegui hands him a chance on matchday.
Lopetegui still under some pressure at West Ham
It is still very early days at West Ham, and Lopetegui has very big shoes to fill after David Moyes secured back-to-back campaigns in Europe and their first major trophy since the 1980s in 2023.
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However, it has been a tame start to the new Premier League season overall, with the Irons clinching just two wins from a possible seven in the top flight so far. Before their much-needed 4-1 demolition of Ipswich Town at the London Stadium last weekend, West Ham were without a single victory in all competitions since late August, with claims Lopetegui was at “risk” of losing his job if that poor run continued.
That pressure has somewhat remained, despite their impressive win over Kieran McKenna’s side, with journalist Dean Jones recently urging David Sullivan and co to consider sacking Lopetegui.
West Ham summer signings
From
Fee (Transfermarkt)
Maximilian Kilman
Wolves
€47.5m
Crysencio Summerville
Leeds United
€29.3m
Niclas Fullkrug
Borussia Dortmund
€27m
Luis Guilherme
Palmeiras
€23m
Mohamadou Kante
Paris FC
Undisclosed
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Man Utd
€18m
Wes Foderingham
Sheffield United
Free transfer
Guido Rodriguez
Real Betis
Free transfer
Jean-Clair Todibo
Nice
Loan transfer
Carlos Soler
PSG
Loan transfer
West Ham summer departures
To
Fee (Transfermarkt)
Flynn Downes
Southampton
€17.85m
James Ward-Prowse
Nottingham Forest
Loan
Maxwel Cornet
Southampton
Loan
Nayef Aguerd
Real Sociedad
Loan
Said Benrahma
Lyon
€14.4m
Angelo Ogbonna
Watford
Free transfer
Thilo Kehrer
Monaco
€11m
Nathan Trott
FC Copenhagen
€1.5m
Ben Johnson
Ipswich Town
Free transfer
Joseph Anang
St Patrick’s Athletic
Free transfer
“I’ll be honest, I’ve heard reports that there are a fair few people that are not convinced about Lopetegui, and obviously there was friction recently between him and Mohammed Kudus in the dressing room at half-time,” said Jones on the Ranks FC Ultras podcast.
“So there are other layers here that could affect the situation, but there’s emotion too, that is going to impact how this goes, and we’ll see whether they’re (the West Ham board) on the right side of those feelings once we come out of this break.
“Honestly, I’d probably sack him (Lopetegui). I think they’ve got it wrong. I don’t think this is the right man for them. I think it’s a waste of time. I’d sack him.”
Time will tell whether Jones is proved right in his verdict, but we believe the Spaniard perhaps needs more time to implement his own ideas and philosophy at West Ham.
Perhaps, what Lopetegui needs is a new injection of youth and enthusiasm to impress. He would have that in young 18-year-old defender Ollie Scarles, who was first handed his senior debut by Moyes.
West Ham teenager Ollie Scarles competing with senior stars in training
As per The West Ham Way, Scarles has been “completing excellently” with senior West Ham players in training – indicating that he could be ready for a fresh step up for regular action in the first team.
Lopetegui is yet to use the left-back, who can play in a host of positions including centre-midfield, on the wing and even further forward. West Ham need a long-term heir to Aaron Cresswell too, with the 34-year-old surely in his final season at the club after having his contract extended by an additional year in the summer.
“I’ve sat with him many times and talked about the high hopes we have for him. It’s over to him now. We’ve shown that belief with this contract extension and now it’s up to him to keep working hard,” said Mark Noble, commenting on Scarles’ own extended deal earlier this month.
“He’s a clever footballer. It’s something that stands out about him and enables him to play in various positions on the pitch. He’s been fantastic for our U21s. He’s got high aspirations himself, which is exactly what we want from our young players. We have high hopes for him too. He’s still only 18, so patience is key. I hope this is the one of many contracts we do for him.”