Julen Lopetegui was at West Ham United for just over six months, having joined them last summer.
The Hammers won seven and lost 10 of the 22 matches he managed and he was shown the exit door in January.
West Ham appointed Graham Potter as the Spaniard’s successor and have won three of the 10 games he’s managed so far. They are currently 16th in the table, level on points with 15th and 14th placed Everton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Earlier this month, Lopetegui stated he was “angry and sad” about his departure from the London club. He’s given an interview to Cadena Ser’s El Larguero and Marca have relayed his comments.
The former Sevilla manager explained how the Premier League club told him they no longer needed him. He was surprised about their decision to sack him.
“The team wasn’t where we thought it should be, but we were relatively close to the positions we should finish the season in,” he said.
“They called me on the phone and informed me of the dismissal. We didn’t expect that change, but we had to accept it. It surprised us. We had just played a great game against City, even though we lost.”
On January 24th, Belgium appointed Rudi Garcia as their new manager, two weeks after Lopetegui’s West Ham exit. Prior to that, Belgium were credited with an interest in the Spaniard.
He revealed interest from national teams, without confirming Belgium’s approach. The 58-year-old has clear plans for his future, which don’t involve such a job.
“It’s true that I’ve had the chance to play for [manage] some international football, but my preference is the daily club competition,” Lopetegui explained.
“Belgium? There was interest from a few teams after leaving West Ham, but we had to regain energy and reset.”
