West Ham dressing room bust-up: Lopetegui told to sort Mohammed Kudus

Julen Lopetegui must put to bed any dressing room frustrations after a difficult start to the season for West Ham after a Mohammed Kudus bust-up.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track Podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who remains very well-connected within the game, warned that issues between Lopetegui and his players should be dealt with behind closed doors.

During the 1-1 draw with Brentford on 28 September, Kudus, 24, was visibly frustrated at being taken off by his manager which led to speculation about the dressing room atmosphere.

Fans had previously suggested that the boss had lost the dressing room after Jarrod Bowen expressed his own frustrations following a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.

After the Kudus bust-up, those rumours had been reignited, and alongside West Ham’s slow start to the season, only added the pressure on Lopetegui.

Since then, however, the Hammers recorded their first home win of the season with an emphatic 4-1 victory against Ipswich Town, with the Ghanaian getting on the scoresheet.

Julen Lopetegui must squash Mohamed Kudus bust-up in West Ham dressing room twist

Tensions had been building amongst the supporters and behind the scenes at West Ham after their tough start to the season, with Lopetegui facing growing calls for his head.

Robinson has insisted that the Kudus incident is not a sign that the boss has lost the dressing room, but insisted any issues must be dealt with.

The former Tottenham man, who made over 370 Premier League appearances during his career, insisted that any frustrations should be made known in the dressing room rather than in public.

“We say what happened with Lopetegui and Kudus,” he told Football Insider.

“Whether that’s an issue that’s been bubbling away in the background or not, we don’t know, but he needs to put that to bed and they can both move on.

“Players do that, we’ve seen it so many times before and I know it’s hard not to show your frustration.

“But the manager has made a decision and you’ve got to respect that. That’s what the manager has been put in charge for.

“As much as he may not agree with it, you talk to him behind closed doors and you talk to him in the dressing room.

“A public show like that is not the done thing.

“I don’t think it shows that Lopetegui has lost the dressing room at all, though.

“It just shows one player’s frustration at being brought off. It may even be frustration with his own performances or the way things have been going.

“I don’t think Lopetegui has lost the dressing room, and I don’t think that would’ve been a sign of that.”

In other news, Danny Ings looks set to leave West Ham in the near future.

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