The picture West Ham fans want to see right now

 

After splashing out close to £60m last week the Hammers need funds to continue a much needed squad rebuild. The news that Nayef Aguerd has been photographed in Marseille suggests that the Moroccan is set to exit the Hammers and join Emerson Palmieri as Roberto De Zerbi looks to add flair to his defensive set up. An estimated fee of £20m has been mooted which will give West Ham cash to find a more suitable replacement.

At this point any of six options to add to the central defence appear possible. Top of the list appears to be 23 year old Charlie Cresswell who has enjoyed an impressive spell at Toulouse. Other reports suggest that  Taylor Harwood-Bellis (also 23 y/o) is being considered but Southampton appear to be seeking a big fee. Other possibilities include loan deals for Chelsea outcast Axel Disasi, Braga’s 22 year old starlet Bright Arrey-Mbi or even the experienced Manuel Akanji from Man City. Earlier interest in Brighton’s Igor Julio seem to have cooled as he looks set to move to Crystal Palace.

Whatever happens, it's pretty clear that Aguerd is finally leaving so incoming seems inevitable. With new cash and such an array of choices it seems that the Hammers are in a strong position to add to Graham Potter’s options at centre back!

Best of luck to Aguerd who sadly never quite adjusted to the rigours of the Premiership.

Hammers to raid South coast again in search of Brazilian talent?

It's no secret that West Ham are seeking a replacement for want-away centre back Nayef Aguerd. With ex-Leeds youngster Charlie Cresswell apparently on the radar, latest rumours suggest that Graham Potter may be ready to swoop for Brighton’s out of favour Brazilian centre back Igor Julio.

Igor is a left-footed pacey ball-playing centre back who would be well suited to the Potter system. He will be remembered by Hammer's fans as part of the Fiorentina side that lost to west ham in the Europa Conference league final in 2023. On that occasion, his last ditch effort to prevent Jarrod Bowen from scoring the winning goal was unsuccessful.

If, as rumored, Aguerd moves to France today, West Ham will need further back up at centre back, as injuries to any of Kilman, Todibo or Mavropanus would seriously weaken their defence.

We’ll find out as the transfer window comes to a conclusion today.

COYI!!!

Crisis? What crisis? Hammers pillage 3-0 victory at Forest

Graham Potter wil be a relieved man tonight as West Ham's season kicked into gear with a canny 3-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest. 

The Hammers had to be disciplined in defence as Forest huffed and puffed but they held firm and when their chance came they pounced. 

Potter will be chuffed with his game management as Summerville's introduction changed the game while Callum Wilson opened his goal account on a day Lucas Paqueta played a blinder!

Here's our player ratings...

Hermansen – 8. Much needed steady performance from the Dane. Importantly, communication with his defenders was solid throughout and he looked calm as Forest launched cross after cross into the Hammers box. 

Walker-Peters – 7. Lively all day. Linked well with Bowen to shore up the right flank throughout.

Mavropanos – 8. One of his best games in a Hammers short. Powerful in the air and looked unusually comfortable on the ball. 

Kilman – 7. More like what we expect. Disciplined and focused throughout in difficult conditions with the physicality of Wood to deal with. He seems to prefer the simplicity of a back four set up. 

Diouf – 8. Excellent stuff - blessed with pace but showed his calmness in defence. The pairing with Summerville on the left will terrify opponents as their understanding grows through the season 

Ward-Prowse – 6. Reduced to utility player status these days but a sensible head without anything flashy. Fernandes’ set pieces will dilute Ward Prowse's value as the newbie showed how accurate he can be.

Soucek – 7. Quietly effective. You cannot understate his value in the air - a big asset today as Forest bombarded the Hammers goal with crosses.

Bowen – 9. Once again he was the difference. Worked hard in defence and took his opportunity with aplomb.. 

Fernandes – 9. Tremendous debut. Energetic and skilful throughout. Looks like a masterful signing.  

Paqueta – 10. Tremendous throughout - competitive and, as always, an eye for an opening. The goal celebration was class. The Hammers need a gypsy-like soul (Di Canio, Payet, Arnautovic) and Lucas is the natural extension of that pulse. A great day for him.

Fullkrug – 6. Battled away but with limited impact. 

Substitutes:

Wilson: 8. Looked up for it and grabbed his debut goal in the process! 

Summerville: 9. Outstanding impact. His pace and control was a joy to behold!

Irving: 6. Solid for the few minutes he was on. 

The chaos continues as Hammers face a busy 36 hours

After three resounding defeats in a row, having conceded 11 goals, Graham potters West ham are in turmoil. After 12 consecutive seasons in the premiership, West Ham have rarely looked more like relegation fodder.  Mercifully, this disastrous start to season has spurred the board into action with the current level of movement akin to Brick Lane market!

Within the space of 24 hours in midweek the Hammers captured two mobile midfielders to add bite to their misfiring midfield with Mateus Fernandes arriving from Southampton for £38m while Soungoutou Magassa joined from Monaco for £17m. Addition of young, pacey and aggressive talent is much needed as Tomas Soucek’s ability is not based on pace whilst the ageing James Ward Prowse lacks the mobility West ham need in midfield right now.

However, those signings have left the hammers rather cash- strapped and rumours about a possible exit of midfield playmaker Lucas Paqueta to Aston Villa or possibly Spurs have upset the Hammers Apple cart as Paqueta is the one truly creative player in the squad and would surely thrive in a more dynamic midfield. Meanwhile,  Everton maintain a keen interest in bringing Tomas Soucek to Merseyside for a reunion with David Moyes. The Czech star brings an aerial presence  and goalscoring contribution that would be sorely missed.

At the back, Nayef Aguerd looks set to move to France with the possibility that Charlie Cresswell will move in the opposite direction to add some beef to what has been a feeble defence. The former Leeds defender is an impressive young talent who could be the player the Hammers hoped the off-form Max Kilman would be.

On top of all that activity, latest rumours suggest that West Ham are seriously looking at bringing in an attack-minded midfielder with Fabio Vieira of Arsenal in the spotlight. However, his time at Arsenal has been blighted by injuries and the Portuguese star has managed just two goals in thirty three appearances since his arrival at the  Gunners in 2022. With Summerville back soon Vieira would likely struggle to get game time and hardly seems worth an estimated £20m pay out right now.

The summer transfer window closes in England on Monday at 7pm. Buckle up because it's bound to get choppy over the next thirty six hours. In the meantime, the hammers make their way to the city ground.Looking for their first points of the season against Nottingham forest. 

Forest have experienced turmoil of their own at a board level.This season , with continued uncertainty about the future of manager Nuno Espirito Santo and have not kept a clean sheet in their last ten premiership games , but nonetheless have started the season strongly with four points from two games. No doubt , Chris Wood will be licking his lips in anticipation of scoring yet again against a leaky west ham defence. 

You’d take a draw!

KO is 2pm.

C’mon U Irons!!!

Here we go - "relegation six pointer" already beckons?

Its hard to believe but we are back already! After a relatively quiet Summer, mainly punctuated with exits, Graham Potters men make the long journey to Sunderland for the season's opener.

Its been a decent preseason in terms of results but that counts for little once the real business of the Premiership arrives. Potter will hopefully have gotten his squad finally schooled in possession-based tactics, while Sunderland have 11 newcomers to their squad and as such are an unknown quantity.

At the back, reintegrating Aguerd looks like a smart move with a new 3 centre back set up. Diouf adds pace down the wing, while Hermansen will hope to add consistency between the stick.

Up front, we can hope to finally get to see what Fullkrug has to offer - he's looked sharp in preseason. The continued absence of Summerville is disappointing but the prospect of a Diouf-Summerville left clank is exciting and should be possible in the coming weeks.

Midfield looks low in pace which is a worry. Potts may add in that regard as a substitute. Its hard to know what Rodriguez brings that Soucek couldnt offer, along with his exceptional aerial ability.....is he benched to rest him for an exit?

Folk on Talksport have penned this as a relagation six pointer which seems a bit harsh/histrionic but nevertheless a good start to the season would be very welcome!

KO is 3pm. 

Rory Nostradamus reckons the Hammers will expose the lack of familiarity in the Sunderland squad, with Callum Wilson coming on to score on his debut.

It's good to be back

COYI!!!

WEST HAM: Hermansen; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez, Diouf; Paqueta;  Bowen (c), Fullkrug.

Subs: Areola, Mavropanos, Walker-Peters, Scarles, Soucek, Alvarez, Irving, Potts, Wilson. 

Hammers can play with freedom in Stateside clash

There's a clearer air around the Hammers as it inceasingly appears that the Paqueta cloud will pass with the talismanic Brazilian exonerated. More cynical observers await the fine print of any verdict as the FA are likely to try and closecthe door on further legal action by the player and the club.

Meanwhile, it's back to the real business of footy as the Hammers take on Man United in the preseason tournament in the USA. There's no Summerville but newby Diouf starts at left wing back with Walker-Peters on the bench.

interestingly, Nayef Aguerd looks like he can be a big part of the Potter revolution and again starts in a back three with Kilman and Todibo. 

Paqueta is on the bench.

Kick off is midnight. 

COYI!!!

West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd, Diouf, Rodríguez, Ward-Prowse, Souček, Bowen ©, Füllkrug

Subs: Foderingham (GK), Herrick (GK), Walker-Peters, Scarles, Mavropanos, Casey, Golambeckis, Potts, Kanté, Irving, Fearon, Paquetá, Luis Guilherme, Cornet, Marshall

 

What on earth are the FA up to?

 

As the Lucas Paqueta case trundles on and on, ever closer to the start of the new season, you'd have to wonder what on earth the FA are up to. 

The 27-year-old talismanic West Ham midfielder  has seen two years of his life taken up by the FA investigation which still has not reached a conclusion. Given the relatively low burden of proof which for this investigation is of ‘probable likelihood’ rather than ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, it is baffling that the investigation remains unconcluded!

Meanwhile, the financial repercussions of this bungled process have been considerable with West Ham missing out on an £80 million transfer, while the ongoing process has clearly affected Paqueta’s on field performances.

It seems clear at this point that this saga will run and run. The FA really should follow this up with a further investigation into their management of this whole process, while it's hard to think that the powers that be at West Ham would not be unreasonable in considering legal action against the FA

who really haven't handled this well. The very fact that the process has dragged on this long suggests that evidence to back the FA allegations is at best and unlikely to be enough to justify the profound impact this has had upon the club and the player himself. 

Meanwhile, it remains ominously silent on the transfer front despite West Ham's clear need to build upon a squad which is currently not well suited to playing within the Graham Potter system.

In short, the whole business has been a total shambles  and it will be a relief for all concerned when we finally get back to playing football!