Under Julen Lopetegui in 2024/25, West Ham fans will arguably get back a playing style that’s somewhere approaching the ‘West Ham way’ of yesteryear.
David Moyes, for all of his good points – and he did consistently get the club into Europe and won them their first major silverware in over four decades – played a way that was often safety first.
That won him few admirers, who surely believed that the right way to go about things was to play on the front foot and consistently attack the opposition.
In any event, that’s precisely the way that Lopetegui likes his teams to go about their business, and to that end, he needs the players to be able to follow his lead in that regard.
One who he apparently would like to bring in is Nice’s former Barcelona centre-back, Jean Clair Todibo.
The 24-year-old again had an excellent season in 2023/24, and to that end, it’s fairly clear why the French club have turned down the Hammers opening gambit of €35m, according to L’Equipe (subscription required).
Though it isn’t clear if the East Londoners are flush with cash, chairman David Sullivan has long been known as a businessman who lowballs his opposite number in negotiations.
He can then legitimately claim to supporters that he’s been willing to sign high quality players, but the reality is that fans of the club aren’t stupid.
If West Ham do really want to be going places, then sooner or later Sullivan needs to pay the going rate, no questions asked.
Todibo would be a step up in quality for the club and it remains to be seen if they’ll go back in for him later in the window, or if he’ll sign with one of the many other clubs that are interested in his services.
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