Exclusive: Lopetegui Makes Decision on Dropping £51m West Ham Star. West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui reacts
West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui has had a less than ideal start to life at the London Stadium this season – and GIVEMESPORT sources have stated that their poor form could see the Hammers boss change up his lineup by dropping two key stars in Lucas Paqueta and Alphonse Areola in the coming weeks.
The Irons have only won two Premier League games from a possible eight, downing Ipswich Town in a 4-1 win earlier this month, with their only other victory being a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the second game of the season. However, with just two draws and four losses in that time, the Irons must improve somehow – and sources state that Lopetegui could force that with a couple of huge changes to their ranks.
Sources: Lopetegui Under Pressure And Changes May Happe
GIVEMESPORT sources have stated that Lopetegui is under pressure to make changes for their clash at home to Manchester United on Sunday, with £51million star Paqueta and Areola becoming ‘high profile’ names that could be dropped ahead of the Red Devils’ visit to the capital.
Lopetegui had somewhat eased the pressure on his job after beating Ipswich prior to the international break, but he suffered a defeat of the same scoreline to Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend and as a result, he is under pressure again – with their collapse being read as a worrying trait of their character.
There are two big selection dilemmas for the Spaniard, with those being Areola and Paqueta – with the duo being figures that are both believed to be at risk at present.
Paqueta spoke of his investigation into a potential ban for gambling, which continues to burn on, and his form this season has been disappointing – though Lopetegui has stuck by him.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Lucas Paqueta has 53 caps for Brazil, scoring 11 goals.
The manager faces a huge decision to keep him in the side, whilst sources also say that it is difficult to see how Lopetegui can leave him out of the team. It would also be a huge call to bring Fabianski into the mix for the United game, with the move potentially dealing a blow to Areola’s confidence, whilst the Paqueta situation is slightly more complex with Mohammed Kudus being banned for his red card against Tottenham.
The Irons may not have the capabilities to drop their major stars just yet. For Paqueta, it appears that the Brazilian will remain in the fold until Kudus is back – and with the former Ajax star potentially picking up a further retrospective ban, it could be a while until he returns.
Dropping Areola would further be a huge call from Lopetegui, especially without a goalkeeper that has a long-term succession plan at the club. Fabianski is set to turn 40 in April, whilst third-choice goalkeeper Wes Foderingham is approaching his 34th birthday – and with Areola also 31 years of age, the Hammers could invest in a young goalkeeper to come into their ranks in the coming seasons.
But for now, with Areola in poor form, it appears that the Spaniard will turn to Polish veteran Fabianski in a bid to stop their rot – especially with West Ham having conceded 15 goals in the Premier League this season, a tally only beaten by Ipswich, Southamptonand Wolverhampton Wanderers.
