Graham Potter needs to overhaul his West Ham squad in almost every department this summer. 

Last season, the Hammers were so disappointing that it seems like almost every player in the squad has been put up for sale.

In truth, it’s only really Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka who can consider themselves safe after the English duo impressed while their teammates failed to pull up any trees all campaign.

Bowen scored 14 goals and registered eight assists in all competitions, making it the fourth consecutive season in which the England international has registered 20 or more goal contributions.

Meanwhile, Wan-Bissaka was voted Hammer of the Year by the fans in his debut season in east London.

But the rest of the squad seriously underwhelmed, leaving the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme, Tomas Soucek and Emerson all being linked with moves away from London Stadium this summer.

One of the biggest issues last season was the midfield, which was often slow and disorganised, lacking shape, pace and creativity.

Edson Alvarez, Guido Rodriguez and Soucek are all very similar players in terms of stature and in their cumbersome nature both in and out of possession, while Paqueta failed to register a single assist all season.

So Potter needs to inject some youth, pace and creativity into his midfield this summer, or risk another season in which his midfield fails to compliment the team’s attacking and defensive play.

However, it’s easier said than done considering the club’s financial situation, in which PSR regulations have essentially led to West Ham needing to sell before they can buy this summer.

Long-time Colombian target up for grabs

Given the club has been pleading poverty going into this summer, it’s unlikely we’ll see any of the big money moves we’ve become accustomed to seeing in recent transfer windows.

The club will not be able to spend upwards of £50m on a single player without any consequences, which will have made the work being done by Potter and his recruitment team more difficult and frustrating.

One player West Ham have been interested in for some time is Palmeiras’ Richard Rios.

The box-to-box midfielder was linked with a move back in April, while there were also links to the Colombian last summer.

The 25-year-old was previously tipped as the player who could be West Ham’s Declan Rice replacement. The truth is, West Ham’s midfield simply hasn’t been the same since Rice was sold to Arsenal for £105m in the summer of 2023.

So any opportunity to fill that gap with a like-for-like alternative will undoubtedly have West Ham interested.

The thing with Rios is, he reportedly has an £85m release clause, which will have prevented West Ham from turning their interest into a concrete bid.

But Globo‘s Pameiras reported, Thiago Ferri, has recently claimed the Brazilian club is now prepared to let their star midfielder go for just £25m.

That makes a deal far more achievable in West Ham’s eyes, but they will have to move quickly if they’re serious about bringing Rios to the Premier League.

That’s because Nottingham Forest are also keen on the midfielder and are hopeful of hijacking a deal.

The fact Forest can offer European football next season makes that a concerning aspect of any potential transfer tug-of-war that might take place. Both sides have been on very different trajectories over the past few years and Forest would arguably be a more attractive option for Rios should he be in a position to choose his destination in England.

That’s without considering that fact Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has shown he isn’t shy in splashing the cash – he has signed 102 players since becoming majority shareholder in 2017, 45 of which have come since promotion to the Premier League in 2022.

It’s clear West Ham will be eager to make a number of sales sooner rather than later so they can start getting to work on bringing their targets to London Stadium, otherwise they’re at risk of losing out on players like Rios.

This is going to be a very frustrating transfer window for West Ham.