One of the greatest managers in the history of the beautiful game has made a stunning claim about sacke West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui.
Julen Lopetegui is adamant West Ham were wrong to make him the shortest-serving manager in their history.
The Spaniard arrived at West Ham pledging to ‘make a big noise’.
Lopetegui certainly had a CV suggesting he may be capable, despite reservations from Hammers fans.
But he went out with a whimper after recording seven wins in 22 games.
West Ham sacked Lopetegui after just 192 days in charge.
In a blunt and brief statement, West Ham’s board said they were left with no choice after Lopetegui failed to meet their expectations.
West Ham won just six of their 20 Premier League games under the former Real Madrid, Spain and Sevilla manager.
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Lopetegui thinks Hammers sacked him too soon
There was no sign of improvement from the second half of last season as the team continued to ship goals at an alarming rate.
In fact West Ham conceded three goals or more on NINE occasions during his brief spell in charge.
Lopetegui was backed with £155m worth of signings.
But his tactics, team selections, man-management and training methods were all heavily criticised.
Lopetegui spoke out about his sacking recently, saying David Sullivan and co got it all wrong letting him go.
West Ham responded to Lopetegui’s claim in style.
The man who fell out with a host of Hammers stars including Mohammed Kudus and Jean-Clair Todibo was replaced by Graham Potter.
And West Ham have been slowly improving, playing a brand of football more aligned with what fans want to see.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
One of the world’s greatest ever managers speaks on Lopetegui
Meanwhile the sacked former Hammers boss has been linked with a number of jobs.
It has even been claimed Lopetegui is on Man United’s shortlist if they replace Ruben Amorim.
West Ham’s decision to appoint the former Wolves boss has gone down as one of the biggest mistakes West Ham have made since Avram Grant.
As well as criticising the club’s decision to sack him, Lopetegui stated he shouldn’t have been at West Ham in the first place.
Now West Ham will be stunned as one of the world’s greatest ever managers makes a big Lopetegui claim.
Since his departure, the 58-year-old said he was still miffed he didn’t end up at AC Milan before joining West Ham.
Lopetegui said he was ‘very happy’ that he was going to join Milan.
Milan suddenly withdrew their contract offer, which pushed him into West Ham’s arms.
Arrigo Sacchi makes feelings clear on sacked West Ham boss
Milan’s hardcore ultra fans – the Curva Sud – launched what was described as a ‘massive social media protest’ lablled #Nopetegui.
The strength of feeling against appointing Lopetegui meant it was among the highest trending topics on social media in Italy in that 48-hour period.
And Milan pulled the plug on the appointment.
Now Arrigo Sacchi says Milan made a massive mistake not sticking to their guns and appointing Lopetegui as their manager.
Sacchi is widely considered one of the best football managers of all time, particularly for his revolutionary tactics and approach with Milan in the late 1980s.
So his opinion carries considerable weight.
And while fans are glad to see the back of Lopetegui, it may just have West Ham’s owners wondering if Lopetegui was right about them sacking him too soon.
West Ham may have dodged a bullet too, though.
Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images
Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images
One bullet dodged but did Hammers make Lopetegui mistake?
Sacchi says Sergio Conceicao, who was courted by West Ham before joining Milan, has been a bad appointment following the sacking of Paulo Fonseca – another manager interviewed by the Hammers.
And he says Milan have wasted a season, saying they should made Lopetegui their boss before he joined West Ham.
“Without a doubt I can say that the arrival of Sergio Conceiçao has not brought the benefits that all the fans expected,” Sacchi told Italy’s famous pink paper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Milan is in ninth place, that is, practically in the middle of the table. It is certainly not a position suited to a club that has written the history of football.
“And we need to reflect on this seriously and with humility. The managers in particular must do so. In the spring, usually, we take stock of what was sown in the previous summer. I feel I can conclude that the result is, at the moment, negative and, frankly, I do not see how we can get out of a situation like this.
“Unfortunately, the mistakes, during the season, have come down with the force of an avalanche. It all stems from a lack of clarity in ideas. I remember, and I hope I’m not wrong, that Milan had identified Lopetegui as the coach for this season.
“Then, given that the fans rebelled, because they considered Lopetegui an unsuitable profile, it was decided to focus on Fonseca who, however, did not have a particularly impressive curriculum. There, that was the first wrong move.
“If you, president, sporting director or CEO, are convinced of a choice or an idea, you have to see it through and not give in to the moods of the crowd. If Berlusconi had to listen to what the fans or journalists thought of me, I would never have coached Milan: they called me Mr. Nobody.”
It is a stretch to suggest Lopetegui may have let the next Sacchi slip from their grasp.
But if things don’t go to plan under Potter, the words of one of the greatest managers ever may be niggling in the back of Sullivan’s mind.