West Ham United need something of a transfer reality check ahead of next summer’s necessary squad overhaul.
Since Graham Potter took charge of the Hammers back in January, there has been plenty of talk about promise—how the style of play will improve next season and how Potter’s football will flourish once he brings in the players he desperately needs.
But here’s the truth: West Ham already have good players.
Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus are quality wingers. Lucas Paquetá and Carlos Soler are ball-playing midfielders who can pick a pass. There’s a centre-back pairing worth over £75 million. And up front, a very unhappy German international who played in last season’s Champions League final.
The idea that the current squad is poor just doesn’t add up. The notion we must wait until next season before flicking a tactical switch simply doesn’t hold water. It’s a convenient notion which hides the fact that Potter is struggling.
As West Ham continue to slide down the Premier League table, the question isn’t whether we’re bad—it’s how bad?
We often hear that Potter is speaking with potential signings and impressing them with the club’s vision. But surely, any ambitious player need only glance at the league table—or worse, our performances—to know the truth.
Right now, West Ham play such poor football that even the most compelling sales pitch might not be enough to entice top-level talent. And that leaves the club in a precarious position.
Being the best of the non-relegated sides is hardly a platform from which to sign good players. If Potter wants to attract players, he’ll need more than sweet words and big promises. He’ll need performances that prove the project is worth buying into.
The fact is there are players that don’t want to be with us and certainly don’t want to perform. The best manager in the world won’t get a tune out of them so they need to be shipped out irrespective.that means replacements we want players who are committed , work hard and wamt to play for us and all pull together as a team.
Thank you. Truth at last. I agree with this article.
As a former footballer, coach and administrator, I do have experience and sense about what this game is all about.
Whatever players you have at your disposal good or bad, you put them together in a unit that will fight and produce.
How can the same players produce better results for Lopt, and he got fired. Yet we cover up for Potter who is getting worse results with the same players, noting Lopt had many injured and off-form players, with bad attitudes to deal with? It is definitely down to coaching.
Let reality sink in. WH has a coaching problem, a leadership problem – Bowen is not a leader at all, and struggles with his own issues, this his struggle to get a permanent spot in the English team. And then we have a player bad attitude. Again an arrogant Bowen + non-apologetic Kudus, mistake ridden Mavro and average Max K do not help this team at all.
All this must be corrected, how and how long is the true West Ham challenge … and yes owner understanding and involvement too !!! • Lord, help us.
Continue to slide down the table? Like yesterday when, at least temporarily we moved a place up. How much lower this season do you expect us to ‘continue to slide down the table’?
Continual hype about this team is not Potters choice and will all change when it is.
That is never going to happen due to funds and Sully will almost always be a stumbling block.
When current team was put together media/TV pundits were in awe saying it was going to be the team to beat.
6th or even 4th in premier league was predicted.
Admittedly Potter has had a lot to deal with but he was aware of situation when he accepted it.
Part time signing of Ferguson (and no other signings) was farcical and has been questioned.
Apart from raising funds selling Kudus/Paqueta and now Bowen, all capable players, could be a major set back.
Add Summerville and that front line should be as good if not better than many teams.
Replacements for these players are not going to be cheap just robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Mavro is an anomaly and has to go but not replaced by injury prone Webster.
Is Potter the right man? When appointed many good things said about him or was that in desperation to get rid of JLo?
Playing academy players has been received with applaud and a step in needed direction.
Uncertainty hanging over numerous members must be disconcerting with some already aware their time is short.
Hhjkufg
Mavro is an anomaly and needs to go replaced by younger player (not injury prone Webster)b
Everybody talks of a total rebuild by selling Kudus and Paqueta. The problem there is who is going to join us in 17th place, playing unexciting football and the team gutted of all quality? i do not see any option but to keep the best players, who want to play for WHU (there’s the rub) and replace players in key areas, with players with potential + Academy backups who’ll then have a chance to learn and get used to the premier league (Potts, Earthy and more).
What everyone says is true, I have never believed in the miracle tactics mentioned & a Summer transformation but I do not think this overhaul is possible. We do have real gaps in ability in the team. As Tony Gale pointed out Bowen has all the skill of the other players, but has passion and toughness/fight others are never showing. Fullkrug has now said the same, indirectly.
I don’t agree with GP’s slow tactics and a good manager should be able to get a tune out of this team however, I do think this team has been through the wringer (Kudus with Ghana/Lopetegui, Paqueta trial, Summerville & Antonio out, Lopetegui weird selections) that perhaps a few good players added to the mix might help this team move forward and get mid table. Then build again, perhaps selling Paqueta or Kudus, or both, with the team in a better position and them having had decent season, IF there is enough quality around them brought in this Summer. As for GP he has a lot to prove and I am concerned he is a meticulous, macro manager which stifles play, but truthfully have no idea – never paid attention in the past.
Another reason we cannot expect an overhaul, is our record with recruitment and we only got Kudus and Paqueta because of brief success in Europe. Now we can get good players of potential, but only a few I think.
also choose to keep players of character such as Soucek and Fullkrug. They are internationals and bring fight & stubborness onto the pitch, plus other qualities. Apologies for the looooong comments above.
I can’t for the life of me understand why west ham got rid of moyes he’s a damn good mgr that said i think a lot of people at the hammers will be gone next season I hope we get players that want to play with this great club from a life long supporter in Ireland
Moyes was his own undoing.
Last 6 months of his tenure was disastrous and some decisions unforgiving.
Cost team European football maybe even Champions league.
Attitude towards transfers wanting to make final decisions.
That’s why he wasn’t offered a contract which suited him.
Looks to being ok at Everton perhaps learnt by some of his worst mistakes.
Michael, at the death the Football under David Moyes was very hard to watch, despite winning the Euro conference it was all pass sideways, back it was not exciting or entertaining, i actually backed my season ticket at that time ( although getting to and from the stadium for late kick offs was another factor)
I was also aggravated by enumerable pundits telling us to be careful what we wished who no doubt feel justified in that view now but the fact was they were not at the London stadium for every home game, i was!!!
Gonzo it’s a team game and we haven’t got a team of young quick skillful players. On the whole baring maybe 4 or 5 players we have old slow poor players. We have changed manager and it is no different, so the blame has to lay at the door of the 1 constant factor. Sulivan / the board and his poor choices and money wasting!
I went to the game yesterday thinking surely will give it a go against a team who are bottom and already relegated.But no Potter reverts to type.
This is how it goes,we slowly play it out from the back get to the halfway line play it sideways and then it goes back to Areola.
I think Potter is getting a free ride from people who say he didn’t inherite this side.He is the one telling the team how to play,it’s his tactics.
The man is a safety first defensive manager and that showed with his substitutions yesterday.
True, every word written.
Three managers have tried to work with part of or all of these players. A team that is obviously not mentally joined up. Our German striker summed it up following our low lights on MOD.
We have an abundance on quality. The truth is they would all leave WHU at a sniff of interest elsewhere.
Potter, did hit the nail on the head when he said “ we need players at the club that want to be here”. Take away from the club the players we want out, Kudas, Tobido, Soler, Paquetta, to name half a squad, want away. So there it is, a complete rebuild of wanted outs and want outs will leave room for a complete rebuild, let’s hope all get sold so the cash can be invested into club hungry players.
The thing that really worries me the most is the lack of infrastructure at the club to bring these players in.
Yep correct Gonzo. any chance of an article calling on David Sullivan doing the right thing for west ham United football club. For once in his life and put the club on the market.
We have some decent players but for me only AWB and Bowen have looked decent all season. The drop off in form of Kudus & Paqueta and has been alaming and worringly another manager seems to have no answers here. The defence has showed a bit of improvement and there is some talent up front but the midfield is one of the worst I can recall in over 40 years of supporting the club. We desperately need to sign a CF and 2 midfields with talent & energy and give Potts & Earthy a go. Things can change quickly, just look how Forest have progessed this season, but we can’t afford many more mistakes now.
Good article Gonzo. Judging by the comments so far most would agree with your thoughts. Relaxation next season is a distinct possibility. The biggest frustration for me is we have lots of talented players unlike the in the other 4 relegation seasons I have endured
Morning Ted,
I’m getting increasingly concerned about almost every level of the club aside from the Academy. I completely agree relegation should be a concern next season.
Are you are serious. The academy is a joke. We produce some good youngsters in spite of the academy infrastructure.
We have one of the worst training facilities in the league. Only Ipswich is worse.
It’s a shining example of no game plan and everything being done on the cheap.
…….surely we are the worst of the non-relegated sides….not the best????!!! Every article I read on this site seems to have mistakes in them……I want the inside track but surely people have a professional requirement to be accurate!
It’s a fan site written by fans Robin and nobody is forcing you to read.
As I see it you have three options.
1: Stop looking for errors because they clearly annoy you and you’ll find them.
2: Go and pay for a professional publication like the Athletic rather than complaining that this free site isn’t up to standard.
3: Send us in an article and we’ll publish it.
Well said and so true .. the players are there!! Not in massive numbers , but the excuse of bringing in his own is wearing thin now . Its a question of tactics … our build up play is so slow its ridiculous and we plod around whilst the opposing defence re sets !.. Potter looking a little out of his depth again
These are my thoughts exactly mate.
It doesn’t matter which players are on the pitch the result will be the same . We need a manager that knows the best way to defend is to attack, not the other way round.
Sullivan is the problem. Moyes was kept on too long and Sullivan loves to see his name associated with every good player who may be available when in truth there is no way anyone half decent is going to sign for scum bag like him . He has no class or ability to run a football club and tried to do deals like a market trader down Ridley Road market .
Yesterday proved without doubt that Potter is not the man for the job . The last quarter of the game was his management in a nutshell. Confused and totally without a plan . He must not be given money to waste. Time to go is NOW. At least a new man would have a close season and time to mould a team.
I can’t see us winning another game before the end of the season. Not even the last game at Ipswich. We do have good players but all the other teams do too! But they are playing better as teams, hence our league position. It will be the same next season too. 😏
As long as Sullivan is at the club this will happen. WE NEED A DOF AND A YOUNG PROGRESSIVE MANAGER AND SULLY TO PISS OFF AND LEAVE THEM TO IT JUST TO ESCAPE RELEGATION NEXT YEAR
Sullivan brought in Lopetegui because he was probably the cheapest option. ZBrady got Potter in because he was a personal friend of her husband. Both of them have ever kicked a ball in their lives. On the other hand we have Mark Noble in the club who knows everything about the game and everything about the club. He wanted Michael Carrick and so did a lot of our fans
Carrick would’ve cost money- thats why it wouldn’t happen. It’s so frustrating we’re willing to pay out significant sums for average players without much thought (Ings, JWP) that is far more than you could pay to get a decent manager/ coach, which is probably more important. Then it costs more money in the long run in compensation sacking them. I can’t think of them ever paying another club for a manager.
I couldn’t believe at one point. During the second half kudus just stood there and let the Southampton player get the ball despite being only 6 ft away from the ball . And the saints player was a lot further from the ball than that . Embarrassing.