Lopetegui informed of two loan bids for West Ham United ace Irving, Hammers respond. West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been informed that Andy Irving had received loan offers from Espanyol and an unnamed Bundesliga side, according to The Athletic.
The online source reported [25 July] that, despite the links with another move away, Lopetegui felt the 24-year-old warranted an opportunity to prove himself during pre-season, with the manager not being let down.
Irving provided an assist for Nayef Aguerd’s last-gasp equaliser against Ferencvaros before scoring a stunner against Dagenham & Redbridge in a 1-0 victory on Saturday 20 July.
Julen Lopetegui to make Andy Irving decision after West Ham United pre-season cameos
The Scottish midfielder is yet to earn his Hammers debut after joining the club from SK Austria Klagenfurt last summer, being sent straight back to the Austrian side on loan.
There has been a lot of hype building around Irving since arriving back at the London Stadium, with many fans pleading for him to remain in the squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Following his pre-season cameos against Ferencvaros and Dagenham & Redbridge, Lopetegui may not have any other option, especially if his midfield options continue to dwindle.
While James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek are ready to go, Edson Alvarez’s injury has left the Hammers extremely light in the middle of the park, with no other players able to fill his position [Knees Up Mother Brown].
This was also a concern last season under David Moyes, with Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips being brought in to plug any necessary holes, though this move never worked out for either party.
Although Irving is more of an attacking outlet, notching 10 goals and five assists in all competitions last term, Lopetegui cannot afford to weaken his midfield selections any further.
His lack of experience in Europe’s top five leagues may also be seen as a concern, having played in Scotland with Hearts and Falkirk, and Turkgucu Munchen in Germany, but fans are excited to see him join the squad.
In other West Ham news, fans can relax over the Lucas Paqueta saga after a proposal was sent for a replacement signing.
