Tony Cottee SLAMS terrible decision

West Ham legend Tony Cottee has spoken exclusively The Debriefing podcast on West Ham’s struggles in the 2024/25 campaign.

Julen Lopetegui’s men have so far struggled to capitalize on David Moyes’ first half finish last season, with the east London outfit currently in 14th place with a game in hand.

Ruben Amorim is already FRUSTRATED with a Man United player!

This is despite the club having invested heavily in the summer transfer window, with the likes of Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug joining on permanent deals.

Unsurprisingly, this has seen the 58-year-old’s future at the London Stadium become increasingly uncertain. leading to further links with potential replacements such as Premier League great Jose Mourinho.

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West Ham should not have sacked David Moyes

Cottee admitted Lopetegui was far from his first choice manager to replace Moyes, who secured West Ham’s first major trophy in more than 40 years with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the final of ‘Europa Conference League in 2023. A first European trophy since 1965. , is worth noting.

“It’s really difficult. I think overall (and I wouldn’t say I was one) a lot of fans felt the club had a good summer in terms of transfer activity.” said the former Hammers striker The Debrief.

“Obviously a lot of money was spent in the summer, £120m, and I think there were 10 players that we signed permanently or brought in on loan.

“Yes, there was expectation. It is very difficult to identify where things have gone wrong. There has been a change of manager, we all know that, and it was a big gamble by the club. I said that six months ago, not only I’m saying that now because things haven’t gone well. I felt it was a big gamble in the first place, it wasn’t my choice to take over the club, but I’m not the one in charge! So you can respect his opinion and give them the benefit of doubt”.

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The board is to blame: West Ham backed the wrong horse

There is, of course, still time for Lopetegui to turn things around in the English capital.

It’s also worth noting that the Spaniard has so far been deprived of new centre-forward signing Fullkrug, who registered 16 goals and 10 assists in 46 appearances for Borussia Dortmund in 2023/24. Since then, the absence has seen the Hammers rely on aging favorite Michail Antonio (34) with goals somewhat hard to come by this season. With the January transfer window fast approaching, a a potential new arrival to shore up the forward line it may very well be due.

Cottee was asked if West Ham could be in a better position if they had instead kept David Moyes and given him the same support: “Of course I would. I think with the sequence of events that started with the club winning the conference league in June 2023 where you could argue the club was at a peak, the highest peak it has been in 43 years since winning the FA Cup in 1980, and then lost. your captain (signs for Arsenal) and the board, for whatever reason, decide not to renew the manager’s contract and let it go. That’s where I have a problem with what happened.

“Either you give the manager the reward he thought he deserved, which is a four- or five-year contract, or maybe you look to change things and say, ‘You’ve won us the cup and we want to leave.’ in a different direction’.

“But to let the contract run, it put everyone at the club in a difficult position.

“They spent £120m in the summer, we didn’t have to spend it in the summer. We had to move in the January window earlier this year. People forget that West Ham were sixth and the Europa League; They needed money spent to build the squad and help the players through what was a difficult campaign because you play on Sunday and Thursday.

“This money was not spent in January. Instead, they brought in a player who was Kalvin Phillips (and we all know he went on that loan spell) and got rid of four players from the squad.

“I can’t understand what happened in January and then you’re going to spend money on a lot of players in the summer. But then it’s too late! At that point, it’s very easy for rot to set in. It can set in very quickly at a football club and unfortunately with the decisions made at board level, and I’m not talking about the manager, those decisions led to where the club was. Eventually, they had to part ways with David Moyes because of what they created.

“To say I’m an unhappy Hammers fan at the moment is an understatement.”

Are West Ham at risk of relegation?

It must be a genuine concern for the decision-makers at West Ham, as defeat to Newcastle on Monday night would leave the club with just a three-point cushion over the relegation places.

This is quite a fall from grace for an outfit that raised big platforms in 2023 and managed a top 10 spot in the previous campaign. More specifically, there is now a serious risk that the team will be forced into a relegation battle between now and May.

Lopetegui’s sacking and bringing in an experienced coach like Jose Mourinho could see the club steered back to more comfortable pastures. That said, it hardly calls for a strategy geared toward sustainable long-term success.

Perhaps the Hammers would have been better advised to build from a position of strength under David Moyes.

Watch our full interview with Tony Cottee The Debrief next week Cottee was speaking on behalf of Eldoradowhere you can exchange coins from FC25.