Former Hammer David James believes it is too early to pass judgment on Julen Lopetegui and his summer signings.
The 54-year-old former West Ham and England stopper insisted that even though the Hammers had enjoyed a slow start to their 2024/25 campaign - with just one win from their opening four Premier League fixtures - it was far too soon to predict how the season will pan out."I think it would be extremely harsh to judge Julen Lopetegui after four games," James told safestcasinosites.co.uk. "Look at the teams they’ve played - Manchester City and Villa at home, two of the best teams in the division.
"Their other games have been London derbies. It’s too small a sample size to judge them on; sometimes football can be very reactionary. It takes time for things to click.
"They signed Niclas Fullkrug, a good signing, a player in his prime who looked good at the European Championships and he got injured. That hasn’t helped."
Yet despite failing to impress during the opening month of the campaign, as Lopetegui attempts to integrate his nine new arrivals into his squad, James believes the Hammers will ultimately enjoy a successful season.
"I think they'll do well," he said. "As much as David Moyes was revered as a fantastic manager for West Ham by some of the fanbase - not all of them, but some - because of the success in the Europa Conference League, you have to look to the future.
"West Ham had those brilliant moments in Europe, and no one can take that away from the club, but, in the Premier League, they faltered and they struggled. I don’t think they will struggle this season.
"Yes, they're not in a great position, but I think given the opposition they've played, that's understandable. They just need to go on a nice little run and, all of a sudden, everything will appear to be a lot rosier at the London Stadium."
James made 102 first team appearances for West Ham between 2001 and 2004, having been signed by Glenn Roeder for £3.5 million in July 2001.
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