West Ham United fans will have to wait until Monday night to get their fix of club football after the international break, as they take on Newcastle at St James Park.
The Magpies sit ninth in the Premier League after 11 games played, whilst the Hammers are languishing in 14th, having won just three of their opening 11.
After significant investment this summer, Julen Lopetegui has big expectations to make it work at the club, and his poor run of form could see his job under threat already, with the club sounding out possible replacements should they pull the trigger on the 58-year-old Spaniard.
A few names that have already been touted are Graham Potter and Edin Terzić, both of whom are currently out of a job, but one name that is beginning to surface is a manager already in the Premier League, who is doing an amazing job with his respective club.
West Ham could hire Premier League manager
According to reports from TEAMtalk last week, one name being mentioned internally is Bournemouth coach, Andoni Iraola, who is also being “eyed up” by a number of other top sides.
Labelled as a “very talented” manager during his time at Rayo Vallecano by scout Jacek Kulig, and he has managed to translate this to the English top flight.
Bournemouth do not play the same heavy possession style that West Ham were initially looking for when going from David Moyes to Lopetegui, but what he does bring is a clear identity, which has proven to stunt many top sides in the Premier League.
The Cherries average 45.0% possession per game (the sixth lowest in the division), but also average 15.5 shots per game (the third highest in the league), with only Tottenham and Manchester City managing more. This speaks perfectly to Iraola’s direct style, and his distinct idea to use their possession effectively, and with purpose.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
The 42-year-old coach has averaged 1.32 points per match (PPM) since joining Bournemouth in July 2023, bettering both the 1.30 PPM Lopetegui managed at Wolves and the current 1.15 PPM he is averaging at West Ham.
If the Hammers did appoint Iraola, it would be a challenge to change their style again, but that change in style could benefit some of their current players, who would be better suited to a more direct approach.
The main West Ham player Iraola could benefit
The first player who could benefit from this change would be Jarrod Bowen, who is already seen as one of West Ham’s most important players. But that importance could be further exemplified under Iraola, highlighting his best qualities and getting the most from him.
Jarrod Bowen 23/24 vs 24/25 comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats (per 90 mins) | 23/24 | 24/25 |
Goals | 0.47 | 0.38 |
Assists | 0.23 | 0.15 |
xG | 0.35 | 0.18 |
xAG | 0.16 | 0.27 |
Progressive Carries | 2.73 | 3.93 |
Progressive Passes | 1.59 | 4.02 |
Shots Total | 2.61 | 2.73 |
Key Passes | 0.98 | 2.24 |
Shot-Creating Actions | 2.78 | 3.83 |
Tackles | 1.16 | 1.59 |
Interceptions | 0.49 | 0.53 |
Stats taken from FBref | ||
The 27-year-old is a hard-working winger, who can press high, and then look to play direct. Under Moyes, Bowen scored 20 goals and provided ten assists in the 2023/24 season, much of his work coming from counter-attacking scenarios, and playing fast in transition.
In Iraola’s system, the way they manufacture their shots comes from their pressing patterns, looking to set traps all over the pitch, win the ball back, and then attack as quickly as possible, in as few passes as possible, looking to hurt the opposition whilst they are out of shape.
Bowen has plenty of the qualities Iraola would like and despite the Hammers’ poor start to the campaign, he is better a host of his numbers from last term.
As a result, with the England international possessing the added bit of final third quality that some of Iraola’s Bournemouth players perhaps lack, it could make for a very exciting prospect if the Spanish coach were to work alongside West Ham’s flying winger.
Related
West Ham must regret selling a star who’s rivalling Yamal in 2024/25
West Ham may have made a mistake allowing one star to leave the London Stadium.
