West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has explained why the likes of Carlos Soler have not been introduced into the starting lineup since joining the club.

The Spaniard made his debut off the bench during the 1-1 draw against Fulham at the weekend. However, he isn’t the only summer signing who has been used sparingly so far this season, with Jean-Clair Todibo, Niclas Fullkrug and Luis Guilherme not getting many minutes either. Asked why he has been reluctant to thrust players like Soler into the team, Lopetegui replied that it is due to the demands of English football:

“There is a big difference [when comparing the Premier League to other countries]. For me, the rhythm is the biggest difference. The physical demand and the style too. I always say the same.”

“The biggest difference about the rhythm is the referees. The referees in England, maybe it’s no foul, but in Spain, it’s a yellow card. This changes the game, this changes the rhythm and we have to adapt.”

“I like it, I like it a lot. But it’s true that we have to adapt and for the players, it’s sometimes not easy to adapt to this pace or this rhythm, this demand. They need time to understand what happens around them. That’s why we try to help them.”

Three Summer signings started against Fulham

Max Kilman, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Guido Rodriguez were all named in the first eleven at Craven Cottage but the first two have bags of experience playing in the Premier League.

For some reason, Lopetegui seems to believe that Rodriguez didn’t need any time to adapt to the Premier League, while Soler, Todibo and others will have to wait for their chance.

West Ham were lucky to draw at the weekend

You only have to look at the xG to see that the Irons were fortunate to come away with a point against Fulham. The home side amounted 1.54 xG to the away team’s 0.76.

Danny Ings‘ goal saved Lopetegui’s team from another disappointing result. The manager will be under pressure to introduce more signings in upcoming fixtures.

Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here