- Optimism high at West Ham after extraordinary summer of spending
- Niclas Fullkrug among players who could make debut at London Stadium
- Champions League qualifiers Aston Villa the visitors on opening day
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Julen Lopetegui is embarking on his first season at West Ham / Gaspafotos/MB Media/GettyImages
Julen Lopetegui admits West Ham United may not need be able to blood all of their new signings on the opening day against Aston Villa, owing to contrasting levels of pre-season minutes and overall preparation time.
The Hammers have been one of the most active teams in the summer transfer window, significantly strengthening their squad with a raft of new additions.
Jean-Clair Todibo, Maximilian Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have added depth to West Ham’s backline, while Guido Rodriguez, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme and Niclas Fullkrug have boosted options in midfield and up front.
An additional goalkeeper has also been added in the form of Wes Foderingham, giving Lopetegui the number of options that West Ham supporters had been clamouring for under the management of David Moyes.
Many of West Ham’s new signings are expected to become first team regulars, but Lopetegui told the media ahead of Villa’s visit that caution will be applied in regards to throwing some in too soon.
“No. Fortunately at the moment, we don’t have bad news about injuries,” Lopetegui, who will be without Edson Alvarez thanks to an injury picked up at Copa America over the summer, said. “We have to be aware about the kind of preparation we have for any players that are later than others.
Niclas Fullkrug could lead the line for West Ham against Aston Villa / Angel Martinez/GettyImages
“Tomorrow we are going to have more information. Right now, that’s all we know about the injuries.
“Yes. We are trying to wait until tomorrow. We will make a last-minute decision on the lineup,” he added on West Ham’s new signings potentially making their debut. “It’s just about tomorrow. More or less we have it [the starting XI] in our minds, but we will see.
“Some of them are more ready than others. We will see [which of] the new signings are ready. Others will have to wait a little bit.
“Let’s see [whether Aaron Wan-Bissaka plays]. He has played enough minutes in pre-season with Manchester United. But it’s true that his first day was yesterday. We need to check them all tomorrow.”
West Ham’s clash with Aston Villa is the late game on Saturday afternoon, kicking off a campaign that will see the latter compete in the Champions League after a terrific 2023/24 season under Unai Emery.
