A recent report suggests that Julen Lopetegui would wreck havoc on two West Ham players in one of his first performances as the West Ham manager.
One of the most important choices a manager must make is selecting the correct captain.
Managers can be made or broken by it, particularly a new one like Julien Lopetegui, who will shortly take over at West Ham.
Kurt Zouma always seemed like a dubious pick to take Declan Rice’s place as West Ham’s captain in the summer.
For weeks, David Moyes deliberated over the choice of the team’s new captain.
Despite the cat-kicking scandal that cost him his place in the France squad and brought unwanted attention to West Ham, he ultimately decided on Zouma.
Several West Ham supporters have criticised Zouma this season. Fairly enough, considering some of his actions and his apparent lack of leadership.
Since taking over as captain, Zouma has failed in a number of areas, not the least of which being his poor fan communication.
Many fans believe that neither on nor off the pitch, Zouma has demonstrated enough leadership.
In fact, as The Times reported, Moyes recently gave a critical evaluation of his captain, claiming that West Ham had lacked leadership ever since Rice left.
Lopetegui’s first act is expected to destroy two stars.
Zouma has been noticeably quiet following many crushing losses for West Ham.
Under Zouma’s leadership, West Ham has given up 71 goals so far this season—the highest number the team has ever given up in the Premier League.
Before the summer transfer market opens, the centre back’s future at the team—let alone his captaincy—is in doubt.
Everyone’s eyes will be on the captain that Lopetegui selects as his new leader.
In our opinion, the Spaniard’s contract, which he signed to replace Moyes, is for three years.
The 57-year-old former Wolves manager will make his formal debut the days following the Scot’s exit next week.
Additionally, a few Hammers players might be completely destroyed by one of his early jobs.
For one of Lopetegui’s first acts as manager appears to be destined to destroy two West Ham players.
Bowen wants Hammers captaincy
Right now, Zouma is the one wearing the armband.
And he seemed to want to keep it based on his actions towards the supporters during the previous game’s victory over Luton.
However, in a recent interview with the Iron Cast podcast, star player Jarrod Bowen of West Ham expressed his desire to lead the team as captain.
“Maybe it comes in time, but I would like to captain West Ham,” Bowen remarked.
“I’ve always been a confident player, so I feel like I’ve had more of an impact here over time because I understand what it takes to represent this club.”
Given that he inked a seven-year contract earlier this season, Bowen would seem to be the best option.
But if an allegation from The Athletic turns out to be true, he and Zouma might be very dissatisfied.
James Ward-Prowse is reportedly a strong contender to take over as Lopetegui’s next captain, according to Roshane Thomas, the outlet’s West Ham writer.
Ward-Prowse to take over as West Ham captain?
Thomas says, “If Lopetegui decides to replace Zouma, Ward-Prowse is one of the contenders to take over as captain.”
“With 50 games, the 29-year-old has racked up seven goals and 11 assists in his strong debut season. He won’t likely make Gareth Southgate’s England team for the European Championship this summer, but if he plays well the following year, he might get his first cap for his country since 2022.
Thomas did not say that the new manager has made a final choice regarding Ward-Prowse at this time.
However, he implies that he might be the one wearing the wristband.
Ward-Prowse has the expertise to handle the position because, prior to joining West Ham, he was captain of Southampton.
The main problem with this, though, is that a lot of West Ham supporters don’t think Ward-Prowse ought to start.
Some supporters believe that even with his strong numbers, Ward-Prowse falls short of providing the club with enough open play in that central midfield role. Despite this, he did score in the last outing against Luton during open play.
Ward-Prowse has an advantage over other midfielders because of his evident prowess on set pieces.
However, Lopetegui sees him as one of the first names on West Ham’s teamsheet if he chooses him to be his captain.
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