West Ham confirm Julen Lopetegui as new manager on two-year deal

Julen Lopetegui has been confirmed as the new West Ham manager.

The Hammers agreed a deal for the Spaniard, 57, to take over from David Moyes earlier this month but held off announcing his appointment to allow space for the departing manager to finish the season without his replacement being officially named.

On Tuesday, the club confirmed major changes to their backroom staff, with the likes of Kevin Nolan leaving, ahead of Lopetegui and his new team arriving.

Former Real Madrid and Wolves boss Lopetegui has put pen to paper on a two-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months. He will officially begin work on July 1.

“I feel very happy, first of all, to be able to be part of the future of this big Club,” said Lopetegui. “We will try to put our stamp on the Club.

“I feel that we have a fantastic platform. I think the last few years have been very good years to have this base, of course, but my ambition as a coach is always to be better and better, to achieve more and bigger aims and to encourage and improve the players, the team, and to compete because football is about this – to compete. We are very ambitious about this.

A former goalkeeper, Lopetegui began his coaching career in the youth systems of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. His first senior stint saw him take charge of Porto before a short spell in charge of Spain ended on the eve of the 2018 World Cup due to his agreement to return to Real.

Sacked four months into his first season at the Bernabeu, he won the Europa League with Sevilla before most recently leading Wolves to 13th in the 2022-23 Premier League.

West Ham United Joint-Chair David Sullivan said: “I would like to welcome Julen to the Club and wish him every success in his new role. We believe this appointment will ensure a strong opportunity to build on the positive progress made in recent seasons, helping the Club to move forward in the direction that aligns with our ambitions.

“We have been working hard behind the scenes to continue shaping the right strategy for West Ham United’s future, and we are looking forward to bringing Julen’s coaching ability, experience and personality to the Club.”