Julen Lopetegui has expressed concern over West Ham’s latest injury setback ahead of their trip to Aston Villa, revealing he is “not optimistic” about defender Jean-Clair Todibo’s availability.
Todibo, who is on loan from Ligue 1 side Nice and was briefly linked with Villa during the summer, joined West Ham in August.
The French defender was forced off before the hour mark during West Ham’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
While the exact nature of the injury remains unclear, it has left Lopetegui doubtful about Todibo’s fitness for upcoming matches.
West Ham are set to face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Friday night (8 PM kick-off) in an FA Cup third-round clash, with a return trip for a Premier League fixture scheduled later this month.
“We don’t know exactly [the nature of his injury],” Lopetegui revealed. “We have to assess him tomorrow, but I am not very optimistic with him.”
The Irons had a further setback when preparing for Saturday’s game after losing Emerson, leaving Lopetegui to field two right-backs in his back four: “We suffered an injury Friday [with Emerson] too in the last training session, that’s why he was not here.”
West Ham have suffered a significant blow with captain Jarrod Bowen sidelined for at least two months due to a broken foot, ruling him out of both league and cup matches at Villa Park.
Additionally, Michail Antonio remains unavailable for the foreseeable future, though he is now out of the hospital following a car accident. The Hammers are also missing their first-choice goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski, who is currently unavailable.
Unforgivable Lopetegui Actions Can Only Lead One Way
The end appears imminent for Julen Lopetegui at West Ham United after a catastrophic week. A crushing 5-1 defeat by Liverpool, followed by a 4-1 loss to a struggling Manchester City, capped a week in which West Ham conceded nine goals in total. This comes despite a squad assembled last summer at a staggering cost of nearly £140 million, while the club’s chairman remains indecisive about Lopetegui’s future.
Under Lopetegui’s tenure, the team has endured humiliating defeats: a 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool, a 3-1 loss to Leicester City, a 5-2 rout by Arsenal, a 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest, a 4-1 drubbing by Spurs, a 5-1 exit in the Carabao Cup to Liverpool, and a 4-0 loss to Chelsea. Even earlier in the season, West Ham suffered a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in August and began their campaign with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.
In the latest debacle, Lopetegui stormed down the tunnel without acknowledging the loyal West Ham supporters who had braved the trip up the M6, despite the team’s predictable collapse.
For a coach trying to foster team spirit and connect with fans, such actions do little to inspire confidence. After a string of disastrous performances, Lopetegui seems to have run out of ideas, excuses, and places to hide. His position is looking increasingly untenable.
Dom Smith in the standard.co.uk put it succinctly:“West Ham reverted to type, tapping into the sort of frail defending that gifted Liverpool a few of their five goals” .
Unfortunately, this has become Julen Lopetegui’s hallmark at West Ham United—fragile defending and a tarnished legacy.
In contrast, one of the leading candidates to take over from him, Sergio Conceicao, made an impressive debut with AC Milan, securing a 2-1 victory over fierce rivals Juventus just four days after joining the club.
It feels like the famous final scene from naff TV quiz show Bullseye: ‘Here’s what you could have won, West Ham fans’.
