West Ham host Brentford on Saturday afternoon looking to secure a first win in four league outings.
Since Graham Potter‘s arrival the Hammers have been much improved in their overall performances but have still only managed to win one of his four league games in charge.
The former Brighton and Chelsea boss has overseen the improvement in performances despite having several first-team players sidelined through injury, which has only served to give fans even more optimism for what he could achieve once he has a full squad to choose from.
We will be closer to that being a reality this weekend, with Edson Alvarez, Jean-Clair Todibo and Lucas Paqueta all being declared fit to play by Potter, while the returning James Ward-Prowse and January signing Evan Ferguson will both be available for selection.
It means Potter is able to add five fresh names to his whiteboard ahead of selecting his best XI to face Brentford this weekend, particularly in areas in which the squad has been painfully short in recent weeks.
Todibo’s return from injury gives us much-needed depth at the centre of defence after Potter was forced to play a back five with four full-backs against Chelsea last time out. And up front, Ferguson’s arrival means we have a recognised striker in the squad who is capable of leading the line in a Potter system.
And with Paqueta, we’ll have the creativity we lacked in much of the defeat to Chelsea last week.
With that in mind, this is how I think West Ham will line up against Brentford…
Potter admitted that it might be too soon for Ferguson to be handed a starting role, so it’s likely we’ll see Jarrod Bowen up front again, with Paqueta playing out on the left and Mohammed Kudus switching to the left.
It’ll mean Carlos Soler, who has impressed in his most recent performances, will be used as a No.10.
Edson Alvarez should partner Tomas Soucek in midfield.
At the back, it could be a return to a more traditional back four, with Todibo and Max Kilman being flanked by Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson.
In goal, it seems Alphonse Areola has won his place back after originally losing it to Lukasz Fabianski towards the end of last year.
Indeed, we’re still working out what Potter’s intentions are with this squad and how he sees it working to its full potential, so the above might be way off the mark.
But will so many players returning this weekend, we should be in store for a treat if it combines with the recent improvement in performances.
You don’t need to be a West Ham fan to know that the London Stadium isn’t the most popular stadium in the country.
Hammers fans complain about it and opposing fans criticise it.
Most of the time, the moans and the criticism are justified. It has many flaws, not least that it’s not a purpose-built football stadium. It’s a converted arena built originally for athletics and its lower tier is held up by scaffolding. Lots and lots of scaffolding.
It’s pain to get to, and an even bigger pain to get away from. The gap between the pitch and the seats on both sides of the stadium is a bit too large for the liking of English football fans (although it’s worth pointing out, European fans in similar stadiums which have running tracks don’t tend to complain about it). The view from the upper tier makes it look like you’re about a mile from the pitch.
Structural and logistical issues aside, it’s simply not Upton Park. It doesn’t even come close to Upton Park. It never will do.
I shouldn’t need to go into the details of why that’s the case. It’s obvious why. One thing that does need explaining, though, is that the general opinion that Upton Park was a constant cauldron of noise and intimidation could not be further from the truth. It wasn’t always loud. It wasn’t always rocking. It wasn’t always a fun place to be on a Saturday afternoon.
The notion that West Ham have sacrificed all of that for a stadium that cannot generate an atmosphere, or never has, is completely false. It’s fantasy. It’s a myth dreamt up by those who are finding it hard to adapt to their new surroundings. It’s the nostalgia effect on steroids.
Upton Park had its moments, like every stadium in the country has had, but it didn’t have its moment every single game. If you think it did then you’re lying to yourself.
This rosy retrospection of Upton Park means London Stadium regularly gets called “soulless.” I cringe every time I hear someone describe it like that, because it’s a lazy way of trying to justify the opinion that West Ham made a huge mistake in moving there.
I don’t recall it being soulless that night against Sevilla, or when we beat Arsenal in the League Cup, or when we almost ended Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run last season, or when we beat Manchester City on penalties, or on the numerous times we’ve beaten Spurs and Man United there, or the times we’ve beaten Liverpool and Chelsea there. It wasn’t even soulless on that infamous day against Burnley.
West Ham fans creating a memorable atmosphere at London Stadium
But it was ‘soulless’ when we were drawing 0-0 with Everton, or losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace, or being knocked out of the cup by Blackburn on penalties, or losing 3-0 to Brighton on a Friday night, or being thrashed 5-1 by Newcastle, or when we’re drawing 1-1 with Bristol City in the FA Cup.
Do I need to spot the theme out for you?
Football stadiums are only loud when the home team is performing well or is winning. Likewise, football stadiums only begin to feel like home to fans when the team is doing well and memories are made there.
That’s why it looks so long for London Stadium to even feel remotely like home. We were rubbish in those first few years at Stratford and the stadium was blamed for a lot of that. The atmosphere was terrible because the team was terrible. It’s not rocket science, is it? Perhaps it is, I don’t know.
But it’s funny, isn’t it, that fans barely mentioned their hatred for the stadium when David Moyes was masterminding top six Premier League finishes and three consecutive years of European nights.
It’s equally funny that the moment the team starts underperforming and playing badly again this season that the stadium is once again on the lips of a disgruntled fanbase.
I read an article this week which even named the sale of popcorn at London Stadium as one of the reasons why it’s not a good place to watch football. I know it’s 2025 and people are offended by anything and everything, but being offended at popcorn being sold at a sports venue is a whole new level of pathetic.
The same article goes on to claim that the club’s legal responsibility to reduce persistent standing “seals London Stadium’s fate as the Premier League’s soulless bowl.” Sure, let’s ignore the fact the club is legally obliged to ensure all fans in an all-seater stadium are seated at all times.
It’s particularly ironic that the author of the article even cites Newham Council’s safety licensing page, where minutes of the stadium’s Safety Advisory Group Meeting minutes are recorded. Of course, no reference of the fact every single all-seater stadium in the country has to follow the exact same laws.
I hate to break it to those who simply cannot fathom any other scenario other than the club being at blame here, but it’s also a problem for every other club in the country.
Does fans sitting down affect the atmosphere? Yes, I’m not arguing that. But let’s not pretend it wasn’t an issue at Upton Park either. But of course, the nostalgia effect is in play here as well.
West Ham fans sitting down and not singing at Upton Park
In the same article, the author also makes reference to there being too many tourists at London Stadium. I’m going to make a pretty safe presumption that they’ve been a tourist at a football match somewhere else in the world at some point in their life. If they haven’t, it’s more than likely ‘visit Nou Camp or San Siro’ remains on their bucket list.
See the irony again?
So what am I saying here? It’s certainly not that the London Stadium is perfect, nor is it that it’s better than Upton Park. It most certainly isn’t, on both counts.
But it’s about time fans stopped complaining about it, especially when using lazy words like ‘soulless’ or blaming popcorn for the team not performing well.
It has its issues, ones that do need to be sorted out, but the issues fans are complaining about are simply not issues at all and were indeed present at Upton Park also, such as only occasionally whipping up a good atmosphere, most commonly in big games against rivals, or being told to sit down by stewards.
It’s become so, so boring, and fans need to get a grip.
Life at London Stadium hasn’t been plain sailing since we moved there in 2016.
A couple of years of battling against relegation and a couple of mid-table obscurity immediately after moving in led to anger and frustration amongst the fanbase.
It wasn’t what we left our spiritual home for and it certainly wasn’t what we were promised.
But things changed when David Moyes came back for his second spell. The Scot led us to two top seven finishes in the Premier League, three consecutive years in Europa, a Europa League semi-final and, of course, major silverware for the first time since 1980.
During that four year period, London Stadium began to feel more like home. We won more games than we lost, had some memorable wins under the lights and fans generally enjoyed going again.
It was always going to take time for Stratford to feel like home. Fans weren’t going to have a connection with the place until memories were made there. Indeed, there are still many fans who are struggling to find a connection, even with those memories banked.
But it’s a slow process and one that will eventually be cemented. The new generation of fans coming through, those who never got to experience Upton Park, will be the ones who will have that more than most. It’s all they’ll ever know, so of course, London Stadium will no doubt be their spiritual home in the future.
It sounds almost impossible but it’s the reality of the situation.
Despite all that, fans still understandably yearn for the good ol’ days at Upton Park. That’s where most of their West Ham memories originate from.
It was a classic football ground and one which many opposing players and fans have said they dreaded visiting over the years. It was our home and sometimes it was intimidating to visitors.
But it’s all gone now. It’s now home to 842 flats, which sell for between £350-500k.
A recent comparison photo has been released that shows what it looks like from above now, next to an old birds eye view of the stadium as we all remember it.
Upton Gardens consisting 842 flats where one bedroom flats sell for around £350,000 and 3 bedroom flats sell for around £500,000
It’s a truly heartbreaking image but might also provide some closure to fans who would love nothing more than to return to Upton Park and forget our time in Stratford never happened.
It’s also reminder that while we had over 100 years of fantastic times at our old home, our new home is primed for us to create new ones. We’ve already done that numerous times before, and who knows what the future has in store?
West Ham might be on the verge of one of the coups of the January transfer window.
Earlier in the month it emerged that West Ham were interested in signing Marcus Rashford on loan. The England international has seemingly fallen out with new Old Trafford boss Ruben Amorim and is close to securing a move away from his boyhood club.
It was believed the Hammers’ chances of tempting Rashford to London Stadium were slim, not least because of his £350k-a-week salary.
However, reports coming out of Spain suggest it might just be a match made in heaven.
That’s because Barcelona have reportedly missed a deadline given to them by Rashford himself to bring him to Camp Nou, according to El Nacional. It’s reported that in recent discussions, Rashford had told the La Liga giants that he wants to join West Ham instead.
It’s a revelation that has allegedly left Barcelona feeling betrayed.
It’s thought Rashford is keen to work with Graham Potter at West Ham. Potter has a reputation for good man-management and believes that taking care of players off the field leads to them being better on it.
Rashford and West Ham are the perfect match
How West Ham go about financing a deal involving Rashford is anyone’s guess at this stage. There is no way the club can afford to pay all of his wages and it’s unlikely Manchester United would be keen on paying much of his salary given the club’s recent admission that it’s losing £300m a year.
But if a deal can be struck, it certainly has the potential to be the perfect match for both parties. It also sparks memories of a few seasons ago when the Hammers loaned an out-of-favour Jesse Lingard in the January transfer window of 2021.
The Englishman went on to score nine goals in 16 games to help West Ham secure a top-six finish in the Premier League.
There are so many similarities between Lingard’s situation and Rashford’s.
Lingard felt unloved at Old Trafford and needed to leave and play regularly at a place he was valued. Him leaving his boyhood club and Manchester altogether, allowed him to flourish.
Rashford could follow in his footsteps by making a move to the capital and not only getting regular game time but removing himself from all the negativity surrounding him.
Time running out for West Ham
Rashford is one of many strikers being linked with the Hammers at the moment, but the club is running out of time if they’re to successfully bring in the right man to boost Potter’s attacking options.
It’s believed a deal for Ajax striker Brian Brobbey is close, although the two clubs are struggling to come to an agreement over the terms of the deal. The Dutch outfit want a loan with an obligation to buy, whereas the Hammers want to remove the obligation and only have the option.
It’s the reason a deal has reportedly stalled, despite reports suggesting Brobbey is already in London and waiting to do a medical.
With seven days of the transfer window remaining, West Ham really need to get a move on.
If it’s true that Rashford wants to join Potter at West Ham then they need to get to work, as it’s a deal that will likely involved a lot of negotiation and budgeting given the finances that will likely be involved.
West Ham have made their intentions very clear in their hunt for a new striker this month.
After long-term injuries to Michail Antonio and Niclas Fulkrug, the Hammers have been on a frantic hunt for new recruits since the transfer window opened at the beginning of the year.
With under two weeks of the window remaining, Graham Potter still has only Danny Ings available as his only senior striker.
Interest in the likes of Even Ferguson, Taiwo Awoniyi, Marcus Rashford and Rodrigo Muniz has been reported extensively, but none of those players have seemed even remotely close of joining Potter’s East End revolution.
Now it appears West Ham have chosen their main man.
Ajax’s Brian Brobbey is now at the very top of West Ham’s wishlist and they are pulling out all the stops to ensure the Dutch international is a Hammer before the February 3rd transfer deadline.
According to De Telegraaf, Ajax want a deal worth €35m, which West Ham are allegedly happy to pay. On top of that, in discussions with Brobbey’s representatives, they’ve also offered the 22-year-old €100k-a-week to tempt him to the capital. It would make him one of the top earners at the club.
It’s not yet known whether it’s a big enough offer to tempt Brobbey, but West Ham have made it very clear to his entourage that they see him as the perfect fit for Potter’s new look West Ham and want him in claret and blue by the end of this month.
Brobbey has had a difficult season in the Netherlands, scoring only three and assisting another seven in 29 appearances in all competitions.
However, he does have 78 goal contributions in 148 first-team outings for the Dutch giants, which is an impressive record for someone not yet in his prime.
If a deal can be struck and Brobbey completes a move to London Stadium, it will be the third play West Ham have signed from Ajax in the last two years, having already signed Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus from the Amsterdam outfit.