Julen Lopetegui and Jorge Mendes could transform the way West Ham operate in the transfer market.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed Portuguese super-agent Mendes will have been involved in the deal to take Lopetegui to the Hammers.
Soccer4U revealed on 5 May the Spaniard is likely to be in the London Stadium dugout next season after the Irons have offered him an “enormous” deal to replace David Moyes as their new manager.
The 57-year-old left fellow Premier League side Wolves last summer after feeling the finances weren’t there to take the club forward and promises had been broken.
O’Rourke claimed Lopetegui is an “exciting appointment” after previously taking charge of Porto, Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla, where he won the Europa League in 2020.
Julen Lopetegui to stamp authority on West Ham squad
West Ham announced Moyes will leave the club once his contract expires this summer, bringing his four-and-a-half-year second spell in east London to an end.
The Scotsman will be a tough act to follow after qualifying for Europe three years in a row and recording the Europa Conference League triumph last season.
O’Rourke expects Lopetegui to have an impact on the Hammers’ transfer dealings moving forward as he looks to stamp his authority on the squad.
The Spanish boss could look to use his links with Mendes on that front, with the agent representing a number of high-profile players across world football.
There are huge changes expected behind the scenes at the London Stadium after Soccer4U revealed on 9 May that recruitment chief Rob Newman is set to leave the club in the coming weeks.
Newman is believed to have been squeezed out since the appointment of technical director Tim Steidten last year.
The German is now spearheading the Hammers’ recruitment plans for the summer, with Soccer4U revealing last month he has drawn up a list of domestic targets ahead of the transfer window reopening.
