Lopetegui on Paqueta, Alvarez and his West Ham move

  • Author, Simon Stone
  • Role, Chief football news reporter

New West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has spoken to the media for the first time since being confirmed as David Moyes' replacement.

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

  • On Lucas Paqueta, who has been charged with six counts of breaching the FA's betting regulations: "We know he and his family are suffering a lot in this moment but when I saw him smiling in the last match (for Brazil) that was good. We are also his family and we are going to take care of him. We are looking forward to seeing him with us."
  • On Edson Alvarez, who was injured on Copa America duty with Mexico: "We are crossing our fingers. We suffered a big injury with Edson. It is not good news because he is an important player."
  • Speaking about why he has moved to West Ham, Lopetegui said: "I have a lot of reasons to be here. I am in a big club, a London club with big potential. Look at the pitch, the stadium, the fans we have. The Premier League is the best in the world. It is the competition we want to compete in. We love to be here."
  • On succeeding Moyes, the Spaniard added: "David Moyes has done very good work here. But here we are. The fans want to win. We will win more if we play well with collective football. I love attacking football but I also love counter-attacking. We have to choose our way."