After Julen Lopetegui, West Ham is urgently looking for a replacement for Declan Rice

The fragility of the back line means that West Ham needs to immediately find a replacement for Rice in the summer transfer market.

AP/JON SUPER

The reaction of Wolverhampton Wanderers Manager Julen Lopetegui during the third round of the FA Cup match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers, which ended in a 2-2 draw at Anfield Stadium on Sunday (8/1/2023) early morning WIB. Lopetegui has become the new manager of West Ham United, replacing David Moyes.

LONDON, TUESDAY — West Ham have announced Julen Lopetegui as the new architect for next season, replacing David Moyes's contract expires at the end of this season. After getting a new tactician, West Ham's priority is to continue the search for a successor to Declan Rice. West Ham suffered a lot without someone who could protect the defenders.

Moyes has ended his five-year tenure at the East London-based club. This is Moyes' second period as West Ham's coach. Previously, Moyes coached from 2017 to 2018. However, after only 190 days of coaching West Ham, Moyes resigned and was replaced by Manuel Pellegrini.

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The future of Moyes was once a question mark because the leaders of West Ham had not made any approach even though his contract will expire in June. They eventually decided not to extend Moyes' contract shortly after West Ham suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat to Chelsea.

"By making this announcement now, David can receive a proper farewell from West Ham supporters and for us all to show our appreciation to him in our last home game of the season against Luton Town on Saturday," said West Ham Chairman David Sullivan in an official statement on the club's website, Monday (6/5/2024) evening WIB.

Declan Rice. You have the best midfielder in the world, capable of protecting the team and potentially limiting up to 50 percent of the opponents' attacks.

AFP/ADRIAN DENNIS

Julen Lopetegui, the former Manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, during the English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton on December 31, 2022. Lopetegui has become the new manager of West Ham United, replacing David Moyes.

West Ham officials appointed Julen Lopetegui as Moyes' replacement for next season. Lopetegui previously served as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers from November 2022 to August 2023. Wolves at that time fell into the relegation zone before Lopetegui managed to deliver 10 wins in 27 matches. Thanks to that performance, Wolves survived relegation and finished 13th.

Apart from coaching at club level, Lopetegui also managed the Spanish national team. With the "Matador" team, Lopetegui recorded an impressive performance by going unbeaten in 20 matches. Lopetegui's career in the national team ended after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) fired him two days before Spain's first match at the 2018 World Cup. in the following season.

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With such an impressive track record and experience, many clubs are interested in Lopetegui's services. The German giant, Bayern Munich, has even made an approach towards him. In addition to Munich, Lopetegui is also rumored to replace Stefano Pioli who will leave AC Milan at the end of the season. However, Lopetegui's choice fell on West Ham.

Rice's replacement

Aside from finding a new captain for the team next season, it would be good for the West Ham executives to quickly move towards finding a replacement for defensive midfielder Declan Rice who has moved to Arsenal. Rice's name came up after West Ham suffered a heavy defeat to Chelsea. Moyes, in short and concise words, mentioned that the reason for West Ham's fragile defense this season was due to the empty gap left by Rice.

AP PHOTO/FRANK AUGSTEIN

Arsenal midfielder, Declan Rice, celebrated after scoring the third goal in the English Premier League match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium, London on Saturday (4/5/2024). West Ham United, Rice's former club, suffered after Rice moved to Arsenal.

"Declan Rice. You have the best midfielder in the world, capable of protecting the team and possibly limiting up to 50 percent of opponents' attacks. When you have a player like that, you will become a team with much better defense," Moyes said when asked about the cause of West Ham conceding so many goals this season.

Rice has indeed been the centerpiece of West Ham's game in recent seasons. He was the team captain in the West Ham championship squad when they won the 2022-2023 Europa Conference League. His ability to read the opponent's game direction made West Ham's defense so solid that it was difficult to penetrate. In addition, Rice is also strong in tackles and aggressive in the air.

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Without Rice, West Ham has become a team that is so fragile in the defensive line. In the past 10 weeks, West Ham have lost by a large margin. They lost 0-6 to Arsenal, Fulham (0-5), Crystal Palace (5-2), and most recently were crushed by Chelsea 0-5.

So far this season, "The Hammers" have conceded 70 goals. Only teams in the relegation zone can match West Ham's number of conceded goals. The last time West Ham conceded 70 goals in a season was during the 2010-2011 season. At that time, West Ham was still managed by Avram Grant and was immediately relegated.

AP PHOTO/KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH

West Ham United Manager David Moyes applauds after the English Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium, on Tuesday (2/4/2024).

"We did some good individual things, but not as a team. When attacking and defending, we made a lot of mistakes and were punished for it. On the other hand, we should have been able to score some goals. However, we conceded many easy goals," said West Ham defensive midfielder Tomas Soucek, after losing to Chelsea.

Moyes has been searching for a replacement for Rice by bringing in James Ward-Prowse from Southampton and Edson Alvarez who was bought from Ajax Amsterdam. However, both of them do not have the same defensive qualities as Rice.

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For instance, Alvarez is very weak in positioning when facing attacks. The Mexican midfielder seems not yet cohesive with his teammates in closing spaces when defending, as seen when they were crushed by Chelsea. Additionally, Alvarez often harms the team by receiving too many yellow cards. Moyes even gave Alvarez a strong warning due to his frequent accumulation of cards.

Meanwhile, Ward-Prowse is not the type of defensive midfielder like Rice. He is more of an attacking-minded player, so the burden of defending relies heavily on Soucek alone. Soucek often struggles to protect the large area in front of the four defenders without Ward-Prowse's assistance.

AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS

The West Ham United players warm up before the English Premier League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge Stadium, London, on Sunday (5/5/2024). Chelsea won the match by a landslide score of 5-0.

"We don't have players who protect the four defenders at the back. We're not defending well enough. In many matches, these things become our shortcomings," said Moyes.

Moyes' complaint has become a warning bell for West Ham's management to immediately look for a replacement for Rice. Unless, Lopetegui is capable enough to maximize the current squad to compete next season.