Did Rebecca Unknowingly Save Nate's Career in Ted Lasso Season 3?
Following his move to coach West Ham United at the end of Ted Lasso's Season 2, the rivalry between Nate Shelley (played by Nick Mohammed) and Lasso himself (Jason Sudeikis) was always going to be heightened in season 3.
And so far, the show hasn’t failed to deliver on that score.
But, according to some fans of the show, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) may have inadvertently saved Nate’s managerial career by intervening in the transfer of Zava (played by Maximilian Osinki).
Of course, the rivalry between Rebecca and her ex-husband Rupert Mannion is another fierce one that fans of the show follow. After losing ownership of AFC Richmond to his wife as part of their divorce settlement, Mannion is now the (fictional) owner of West Ham.
And in convincing Zava to sign for her unfashionable club over their far bigger London rivals, Rebecca is no doubt expecting to take her team one step closer to getting one over on Rupert's.
But there's a theory that Zava, for all his skill on the ball, wouldn't take kindly to Nate's management style. Nate is basically a bully. He’s insecure, desperate to be seen as ‘the one’ and always looking for an opportunity to make himself look (or at least feel) better by putting someone else down.
And the egotistical and unpredictable Zava may not have been his ideal target. Indeed, such is Zava’s personality that his presence alone in the club may have been enough to undermine Nate and make him feel as though he’s not the main man.
So, Rebecca may have unknowingly helped her ex-husband avoid the kind of dressing room bust-up that famously sees morale fall apart and results suffer. Even if part of the reason for signing him was just the opportunity to beat Rupert at something.
Exactly how things play out over the remainder of the season is yet unknown. But it does appear that any attempt to put Zava in a West Ham shirt and avoid the inevitable outcome of him and his coach coming to verbal – maybe even physical – blows at some point in the season would not work.
Playing in an unfancied side with a more amiable coach, though, could suit Zava just fine. So, maybe he’ll end up being the catalyst for a season that sees AFC Richmond defeat West Ham.