A national media outlet has thrown shade at one West Ham United star after his decision to join the club, delivering a scathing verdict on his transfer to east London.
West Ham endure lacklustre start under Lopetegui
Following a run of zero wins in all competitions since late August, new manager Julen Lopetegui is already under a degree of pressure.
West Ham draw fresh plans to sign £40m star after Lopetegui identifies him
The Spaniard has pinpointed him as a potential new recruit.
ByEmilio GalantiniOct 3, 2024
The Spaniard has been at the centre of an alleged bust-up with star winger Mohammed Kudus as well, which certainly won’t help matters, but this has since been downplayed by media sources close to the club.
“Club sources insist the ‘bust up’ between Kudus and Lopetegui at Brentford has been exaggerated, explaining both men are very passionate about improving things at the club and quickly resolved their differences amicably on Monday,” said Sean Whetstone on X.
“The incident was first mentioned by Tony Gale during commentary of the West Ham v Brentford game followed by a cryptic tweet by KUMB revealing rumours of a bust-up at half-time. Whatever the two said to each other in the heat of the moment, it appears they have both put it behind them.”
Match
Date
Opponent
Competition
Result
#8
28/09/2024
Brentford (A)
Premier League
1-1 draw
#7
25/09/2024
Liverpool (A)
Carabao Cup
5-1 loss
#6
21/09/2024
Chelsea (H)
Premier League
3-0 loss
#5
14/09/2024
Fulham (A)
Premier League
1-1 draw
#4
31/08/2024
Man City (H)
Premier League
3-1 loss
#3
28/08/2024
Bournemouth (H)
Carabao Cup
1-0 win
#2
24/08/2024
Crystal Palace (A)
Premier League
2-0 win
#1
17/08/2024
Aston Villa (H)
Premier League
2-1 loss
West Ham’s only two victories of the campaign – a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League and a 1-0 EFL Cup victory against Bournemouth – came weeks ago, with Lopetegui since overseeing dropped points against Fulham and Brentford whilst also watching his side get hammered by Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City.
The Irons are still prepared to back Lopetegui, as it is still very early days after all. West Ham are planning a move for Omar Marmoush, according to reports, with the Eintracht Frankfurt striker among many targets for technical director Tim Steidten as the transfer chief looks to strengthen Lopetegui’s squad.
They also spent nearly £120 million on nine new summer arrivals in a major restructure of the squad, with former Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez also joining on a free transfer.
National media throw dig at Rodriguez for joining West Ham
The World Cup-winning Argentina holding midfielder has started all six of their Premier League games so far, and his experience will be invaluable for West Ham as they look to climb the table.
Estadio Deportivo don’t share that opinion, though. Indeed, the outlet appears to have thrown shade at the 30-year-old’s decision to make a move to the London Stadium.
They suggest that Rodriguez made a mistake in leaving Betis for West Ham and refusing to sign a new deal, as they claim that he’s suffered a downturn in form since electing not to sign stay with Betis and leave for the English capital instead.
They back this verdict by calling his snub from the Argentine national squad “one of the worst pieces of news” and a “moral blow” for the South American, saying he was one of the best defensive midfielders in the world at Betis.
Estadio think that Rodriguez’s move to West Ham is a big reason why he hasn’t been selected by Lionel Scaloni for the next international break, but we believe this could be pretty far-fetched and more down to the form of Rodrigo de Paul, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios and Enzo Fernandez.