West Ham United

The club summer is off and running, so what's the first thing that needs sorting out at West Ham?

Is it a contract, a transfer, a fan issue or something else?

Tell us here, external

West Ham United have moved closer to a £25.5m deal to sign 18-year-old Brazilian forward Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras. (Times), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

West Ham United are in talks with Palmeiras over a deal for 18-year-old Brazilian midfielder Luis Guilherme. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

West Ham United and Everton have opened talks with Burnley over a deal for 22-year-old French defender Maxime Esteve. (L'Equipe - in French), external

Rennes and Lyon are set to bid £35m for West Ham's 28-year-old Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

West Ham have agreed a £15m deal with Flamengo to buy 28-year-old Brazil defender Fabricio Bruno. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Southampton will try to sign West Ham midfielder Flynn Downes on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell. (Daily Echo, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Kevin Nolan says leaving West Ham "is a bitter blow" following his nine-year stint at the club as player and first-team coach.

The former Hammers midfielder, who was brought back in to the coaching set-up by David Moyes in February 2020, "wanted to stay" as part of new manager's Julen Lopetegui's staff but he has been dismissed.

"To be at West Ham meant a lot to me," Nolan told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It has been fantastic to come back [as a coach]. "Receiving the news was a bitter blow and disappointing because I wanted to stay. But as we know, it is football."

"It did come as a bit of a shock to all of us. We were all under the illusion that Moyes would be talking to them in the summer again, but then you hear the rumours.

"When you hear your boss say 'we will see at the end of the season', you always see a change in attitude and mind from the players. That adds up to a cloud of uncertainty.

"It was unfortunate in the way it all unfolded. As much as I would like to say I knew what was going on, I did not have a clue. I believed that he would be offered a deal."

West Ham confirmed that first-team coaches Billy McKinlay, John Heitinga and Henry Newman have also left the club.

Image source, EPA

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Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Lucas Paqueta's FA betting charge leaves West Ham with a bit of a problem.

Lots of clubs are interested in signing the Brazil playmaker this summer and he would presumably bring in a huge fee to help fund new manager Julen Lopetegui's squad-building plans.

But Paqueta is due to play at Copa America this summer, so presumably there is unlikely to be a hearing until August at the earliest.

That would probably mean he will not be sold before the transfer deadline closes on 30 August, which will leave Lopetegui without a fee to invest.

He will have a player though - at least until judgement comes on Paqueta.

If he is found guilty - and he denies the charges strenuously - the ban is likely to be lengthy.

West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen is a target for Newcastle United, with Everton's England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin also of interest. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui wants Wolves' English centre-back Max Kilman, 27, to be one of at least six signings as he plots a summer overhaul of the Hammers' squad. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

We asked for your views on whether you were happy about Julen Lopetegui's appointment as head coach and what should be first on his to-do list?

Here are some of your responses:

Calpso: We should have stuck with Moyes. The new manager is not an upgrade in my opinion. We need to strengthen the central defence and get a good striker. Scamacca was good but Moyes wouldn't adapt his system to suit him.

Bob: I only hope the new manager brings in youngsters from the academy and plays attractive, attacking football. We also need better central defenders and a proven striker.

Barney: We got rid of a problem, now let's give the new guy a chance. I believe he is an improvement on Moyes and in my opinion we can breathe a sigh of relief that we will not be playing 'Moyesball' this season. Relegation is not on the cards.

Tony: Moyes deserves credit for what he did for the club and the view West Ham is now seen in by the wider football community. Lopetegui now must be given time to build on that base and implement his playing philosophy of possession based football. Fans, pundits and journalists aren't that patient though. I think he will move the club forward. #COYI

Mark: Personally I think whoever comes in will have a rebuild on their hands. The season after this one will be the acid test, but I hope the fans give him time because the squad he's inherited is no better than ninth or eighth place. His transfer dealings are the key to whether he succeeds or not.

Robert: I'm going to give the new manager a chance and not go against him before he's even started but he's got big shoes to fill as Moyes built us into a European football club and even won us our first silverware in a long time.

David: Good appointment and hopefully a more attacking approach than David Moyes. The board need to back Lopetegui with huge investment starting with a quality striker, two central defenders and two full-backs. Assuming Bowen stays, will we keep Lucas Paqueta and Kudus? They are both key to success next season.

Julen Lopetegui's stint at Wolves was brief but eye catching.

The Spaniard finished his time at the Molineux with a win percentage of close to 41% - which is more than any other manager has achieved at the club.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Has it been a season of progress, stagnation or indifference?

Given last season ended in Prague with one of the greatest nights in West Ham’s history, it can hardly be argued this was a better season. However, in the context of recent history, it was OK. The disappointment came in the drop off from the Christmas period, which included back-to-back wins against Manchester United and Arsenal that eventually led to a ninth place finish and David Moyes’ exit.

Biggest success for club this season?

Jarrod Bowen has been phenomenal. Either out wide or down the middle, Bowen is a real goal threat. His overall Premier League tally of 16 took him into the top 10 in the goalscoring charts. The good news for West Ham is that there is more to come and that as recently as October, he signed a new contract that doesn’t run out until 2030.

Biggest let down or frustration?

The matches against Bayer Leverkusen were a case of what might have been. Against a team that had not lost, West Ham came within seven minutes of a priceless away draw in the first leg. Even at 1-0 down, they would still have had a chance in the return at the London Stadium. But to concede again in stoppage time gave them a mountain to climb and although they took an early lead, they eventually ran out of steam.

Key item on the summer agenda?

Julen Lopetegui needs to get his feet under the table pretty quickly. His supporters point to work at Seville, with Spain, Real Madrid and Wolves as evidence of a world class coach. Those less enthusiastic say Sevilla were at the wrong end of the table when he got sacked and he left Wolves when he realised there was no money to spend, having already spent huge sums in a successful relegation fight.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Julen Lopetegui arrives at West Ham with a healthy CV of club and national experience - but who is the Spaniard and why has he been chosen as David Moyes' successor?

The former professional goalkeeper started his senior management career at Porto in 2014 and guided them to a Champions League quarter-final in his debut season.

He was later sacked midway through the following campaign after their first defeat in the Primeira Liga for nearly a year and a group stage exit in Europe.

Lopetegui was then named manager of the Spain national team and recorded a 20-match unbeaten run in the build-up to the 2018 World Cup. But, just two days before the competition started, he was sacked after news of him joining Real Madrid was announced.

He succeeded Zinedine Zidane at the Bernabeu, but failed to live up to expectations.

Real took just 14 points from their opening 10 games in the league, which was their worst start since 2001-02, and as a consequence Lopetegui was sacked.

His image at this point was slightly tarnished from three roles and three sackings - but Sevilla came knocking.

And, unlike his previous experiences, this was to be his most successful stint to date.

He lifted his first silverware, the 2020 Europa League, and guided them to three top-four finishes in La Liga. However, following a poor start to his fourth season in charge he was sacked.

At the same time, Wolves had sacked Bruno Lage and had been keeping tabs on Lopetegui for years. His availability prompted the Midlands club to make a move and he duly moves to Molineux during the World Cup break, with the side bottom of the league.

He led them to survival and, of 23 league matches in charge, he won nine and lost 10 and they became only the fourth side in the Premier League era to stay up after being bottom on Christmas Day.

Wolves' financial situation hindered their summer transfer activity and he left in August 2023 following what were described at the time as "differences of opinion on certain issues".

He now joins West Ham, where his experience within European competitions will be useful as the club continue to push for top-eight finishes.

He has managed 289 games at club level and has a win ratio of 55%.

On joining, he said he is happy "to be part of the future of this big club," suggesting given time, it is the long-term project he seeks.

Time, however, is not something he has always been afforded in the past.

After it was confirmed on Thursday that Julen Lopetegui will succeed David Moyes as the new West Ham head coach, we want to know your views on the appointment.

Happy with the choice? Is he the right man to take the club forward? What should be first on his to-do list?

Have your say, external

Image source, Getty Images

Julen Lopetegui says he is "where I want to be" after it was confirmed he will replace David Moyes as manager of West Ham.

The former Spain, Porto, Wolves, Sevilla and Real Madrid boss will officially begin work with the Hammers on 1 July.

Speaking to club media, external following his appointment, he said: "I feel very happy, first of all, to be able to be part of the future of this big club. We will try to put our stamp on the club.

"I feel that we have a fantastic platform. I think the past few years have been very good to have this base 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. We are very ambitious about this.

"I am where I want to be. I am here because I want to be here and for us it was a fantastic day when we closed our agreement here because our commitment is 100% to be here."

West Ham will not host European football next season for the first time in four years but this did not influence Lopetegui's decision.

Instead, the Spanish manager is keen to turn the Hammers into a force, in the Premier League and abroad.

"We had other opportunities but I am very happy that West Ham chose me because I chose West Ham too, so we are really happy about this," he said.

"We came here with the thought to make a big, big noise. "e are excited by this challenge. Of course, we are going to do our best to help the club and the team to achieve the best level and our aims.

"I assure the fans that they are going to be key."

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham United have confirmed the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as the club's new head coach.

The Spaniard replaces David Moyes in east London, after the Scot's departure last week.