West Ham picked up a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, a result which will have been something of a relief for manager Julen Lopetegui.
The Spaniard’s future at West Ham was under doubt before the game, with the Hammers going through a difficult period in the Premier League.
With the win on Monday, Lopetegui’s future seems a little more secure, even if the Hammers are 14th in the table.
Support for Lopetegui has now arrived in the form of the team’s midfielder Carlos Soler, who arrived at the club on an initial loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
The 27-year-old has spoken to Spanish newspaper AS about the West Ham manager and stated that Lopetegui “needs time”, despite the team’s inconsistent form.
“We have been inconsistent, because there are games that we play well, I think, and we deserve to win, like the one against Leicester (3-1) , and then there is the day against Arsenal (2-5) . It is true that it is a great club and a great team (Arsenal), but we can do much better.
“The project has many new players. The club has changed the coach, the style of play too, and I think that takes time. Today we have achieved a very important victory with which we do not improve in the table, but it does help us to gain confidence.”
Speaking further, Soler stated that not every new manager can make an instant impact like Arne Slot has made at Liverpool.
“There are coaches who come to a club and in the first season, in the first games, they excel. I just remembered, for example, Arne Slot at Liverpool.”
“It is not easy, but it is also Liverpool. In my opinion, I think it takes time.”
The Hammers signed multiple players in the summer transfer window, including Soler, Crysencio Summerville, Jean-Clair Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Max Kilman.
When that happens, a manager usually needs time to settle them in, impose his style of play and identify the strengths of new players and signings.
