Lopetegui to devastate two West Ham stars with his first act as boss
Choosing the right captain is one of the biggest decisions a manager has to make.
It can make or break managers, especially a new man in charge as Julen Lopetegui will soon be at West Ham.
Kurt Zouma always looked a questionable choice to succeed Declan Rice as West Ham captain last summer.
David Moyes deliberated for weeks over who would be named the club’s new skipper.
In the end he opted for Zouma, despite the cat-kicking saga which saw him banished from the France setup and bring unwanted attention on West Ham.
Zouma has been criticised by many West Ham fans this season. Justifiably so given some of his performances and a perceived lack of leadership.
Zouma has failed on many levels since replacing Rice as skipper not least his lack of communication with fans.
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Many supporters feel Zouma has not shown enough leadership on or off the pitch.
Indeed Moyes himself delivered a damning assessment of his captain recently when saying West Ham have lacked leadership since Rice’s departure, as reported by The Times.
Lopetegui set to devastate two stars with his first act
Zouma has been conspicuous by his silence after a number of heavy West Ham defeats.
With Zouma as captain West Ham have conceded 71 goals and counting this season, the most the club has ever shipped in the Premier League.
The centre-back’s future at the club, let alone his captaincy, is in question ahead of the summer window.
All eyes will be on who incoming new boss Lopetegui picks as his skipper.
The Spaniard has signed what we believe will be a three-year deal to replace Moyes.
The 57-year-old former Wolves boss will be officially unveiled in the days after the Scot’s departure next week.
And one of his first jobs may well leave a couple of Hammers players gutted.
West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek, James Ward-Prowse, Vladimir Coufal and Jarrod Bowen in discussion during the Premier League match between Tottenham…
Bowen wants Hammers captaincy
Zouma is in possession of the armband at present.
And what he did towards fans during the win over Luton last time out suggested he wants to keep it.
But top scorer Jarrod Bowen has recently spoken about his desire to be West Ham captain on the club’s Iron Cast podcast.
“I would like to captain West Ham, maybe it comes in time,” Bowen said.
“I’m always a confidence player so as time has gone on here, I feel as if I have had more of an influence as I know what it takes to represent this club.”
Having signed a seven-year deal earlier this season, Bowen would seem the most obvious choice.
But he and Zouma may be left very disappointed if a claim from The Athletic proves accurate.
According to the outlet’s West Ham reporter Roshane Thomas, James Ward-Prowse is very much in the mix to be Lopetegui’s new captain.
Ward-Prowse to be new West Ham skipper?
“Ward-Prowse is among the candidates to take over as captain if Lopetegui opts to replace Zouma,” Thomas states.
“The 29-year-old has put together a solid debut season, amassing seven goals and 11 assists across 50 appearances. He is unlikely to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this summer’s European Championship, but if he kicks on again next season, he could win his first international cap since 2022.”
Thomas did not state a definitive decision has been made by the incoming boss on Ward-Prowse right now.
He suggests he could well be the man handed the armband, though.
Given Ward-Prowse was Southampton captain before arriving at West Ham he has the experience to handle the job.
The big issue with this, though, is that many West Ham fans do not believe Ward-Prowse should be a starter.
Despite his healthy stats, some fans feel Ward-Prowse does not offer enough to the team in open play in that central midfield role. Although he did score from open play in the win over Luton last time out.
His obvious strength from set-pieces does give Ward-Prowse an edge over other midfielders.
But if Lopetegui picks him as his captain then he clearly sees him being one of the first names on West Ham’s teamsheet.
