West Ham has named Julen Lopetegui as their latest head coach.
The 57-year-old Spaniard, who finalized an agreement with the Hammers earlier this month, takes over from David Moyes and signs a two-year contract, with a potential extension for a third year.
Lopetegui has been without a managerial position since departing Wolves in August.
“I feel very happy, first of all, to be able to be part of the future of this big club,” he said.
“We had other opportunities but I am very happy that West Ham chose me because I chose West Ham too, so we are really happy about this.”
Earlier this month, West Ham announced that Moyes, who returned for his second tenure at the club in December 2019 and secured the Europa Conference League title in 2023, would depart at the conclusion of the season.
The 61-year-old Scottish manager faced mounting criticism following a string of unfavorable outcomes, resulting in West Ham finishing ninth in the Premier League and failing to qualify for European competition for the fourth consecutive season.
Lopetegui is scheduled to officially assume his duties on July 1st, coinciding with the start of pre-season activities, which include a two-week tour to the United States for friendly matches against Crystal Palace and Wolves.
“I feel that we have a fantastic platform,” Lopetegui added.
“My ambition as a coach is always to be better and better, to achieve more and bigger aims and to encourage and improve the players, the team, and to compete because football is about this – to compete.”
The ex-Spain and Real Madrid manager clinched the Europa League title with Sevilla in 2020 before taking on the role at Molineux in November 2022, when Wolves occupied the bottom spot in the Premier League standings.
Under his guidance, they managed to secure a 13th-place finish, yet he grew disillusioned with the club’s financial challenges, prompting his resignation.
“Julen lives and breathes football,” said West Ham’s technical director Tim Steidten.
“He thinks deeply about the game, he is tactically astute and he has shown he can adapt to work in different leagues, in different countries, with national teams, and in each situation he has shown his outstanding qualities.”
A former goalkeeper, Lopetegui played for Real Madrid and Barcelona and won one cap for Spain.
The club’s joint chairman David Sullivan added: “We believe this appointment will ensure a strong opportunity to build on the positive progress made in recent seasons, helping the club to move forward in the direction that aligns with our ambitions.”