March 22, 2025
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Memories of 2021 amid reports West Ham could be about to secure January coup, it’s the perfect match

By
Jamie Freeman
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Graham Potter West Ham boss

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

Marcus Rashford

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

West Ham target Brian Brobbey

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 offer huge package to tempt striker who has 78 goal contributions, he’d be one of the top earners

By
Jamie Freeman
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West Ham Head Coach Graham Potter

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.

West Ham target Brian Brobbey

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.

Academy on show, pace in attack – Predicted West Ham XI to beat Aston Villa

By
Jamie Freeman
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West Ham manager Graham Potter

Graham Potter takes his West Ham side to Villa Park for the second time in a little over two weeks on Sunday.

Our last visit to the Midlands came just over 24 hours after Potter was confirmed as the club’s new Head Coach. Despite losing 2-1 and exiting the FA Cup, it was a much-improved performance that showed there is plenty of promise in this current crop of players.

But it also came at the cost of losing both Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville, making it difficult for Potter to build on the positives on show against Aston Villa.

Last time out, against Crystal Palace at home, a lack of forward options showed just how desperate we are for returning players and new recruits, as we fell to a 2-0 defeat.

There are signs of both happening ahead of this weekend, though.

While a new signing won’t come in time, there is hope that at least one, perhaps even two, attacking players might return in time.

Summerville limped off at Villa Park two weeks ago and has been sidelined ever since but Potter has hinted that he may be available again this coming weekend, although it’s still touch and go.

Given shortages in attack, it’s more likely that the former Leeds man will be rushed back to action instead of the main man and club captain.

Jarrod Bowen is the one we’ve all been waiting for and the club teased his imminent return earlier this week with footage of him back in training with the team.

Potter admitted in his pre-match press conference that it’s still early in his recovery and he does not want to force him back too soon. But that’s not entirely ruling him out, so we might just see him on the bench this weekend.

Meanwhile, one player we definitely won’t be seeing this weekend is Konstantinos Mavropanos, who is suspended after his two yellow cards last weekend. That does leave Potter with an issue in defence, with only Max Kilman available as the only senior centre-back.

He could play Aaron Cresswell alongside him but it’s more likely that Academy graduate Kaelan Casey is handed his first Premier League start at the centre of defence.

So this is how I’m predicting West Ham will line-up against Aston Villa on Sunday…

Imminent West Ham exit raises more questions than answers

By
Jamie Freeman
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David Sullivan

Tim Stiedten is on the verge of leaving West Ham, according to TBR Football.

The Technical Director’s position in east London has been intensely scrutinised since his arrival in July 2023.

Some believe he has worked wonders in the transfer market, others claim he has been a failure.

The truth is arguably somewhere in between.

He supposedly fell out with David Moyes and his replacement, Julen Lopetegui. Many weren’t happy to see him doing pre-match interviews on TV and spending time on the pitch observing warm-ups before games. A Technical Director should not be a media-facing figure at any football club.

He was, though, the man who convinced both Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez to swap Ajax for West Ham. He famously traveled at the last minute to France to usurp Juventus in the race for Jean-Clair Todibo and succeeded.

Mohammed Kudus

Fair concerns exist over the decision to sign Niclas Fullkrug over Jhon Duran last summer. Although the £25m spent on Luis Guilherme seemed rather excessive at the time, it was obvious at the time that the Brazilian’s arrival wasn’t intended to be for the first team this season.

There have been pros and cons to Stiedten’s presence in east London and it cannot be expected that every single signing made will be a success, especially not at West Ham where it’s often more of a frantic search for players than a well-considered approach to business based on extensive scouting.

That could be about to change with the arrival of Kyle Macaulay from Chelsea as the club’s new Head of Recruitment. Macaulay worked with Graham Potter at Ostersunds, Swansea, Brighton and Chelsea and is no doubt the main man behind Potter’s reputation for finding gems in the transfer window.

Potter is used to working in a more structured recruitment environment and that’s not something West Ham is used to having, even with Stiedten in place over the last two years.

Meanwhile, anyone asking where Stiedten fits in this new recruitment department being created by Potter now have their answer. He doesn’t.

West Ham manager Potter

But the answer really isn’t that simple. His imminent departure raises far more questions than it does answers.

Such as, why was he allowed to be so visible by the media? Why wasn’t he given full control of the club’s technical operations? Why was he falling out with managers?

The second question is the one fans want answers to the most. It is no secret David Sullivan struggles to loosen his grip on certain matters involving transfers at the club. That makes the decision to appoint the German so confusing in the first place.

Was he so bad at his job that he deserved to be sacked? Absolutely not.

It is arguably the way in which he was or wasn’t allowed to do his job which has led to this point. He was in charge of recruitment but was seemingly wrestling with Sullivan over who should and shouldn’t be signed.

Even where managerial appointments are concerned, it’s believed Stiedten did not want Lopetegui last summer, but Sullivan insisted.

With such a power struggle present at the very top of the club, is it any wonder someone is losing their job? It was a bizarre relationship between Technical Director and owner that no one will ever really understand.

That’s a question we do know the answer to. The other questions? We may never know the truth.

West Ham edge closer to double deal as the Graham Potter era officially kicks off

By
Jamie Freeman
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0
Graham Potter

West Ham are closing in on two deals that will officially bring a start to a new under Graham Potter.

It has been a frustrating January transfer window for the Hammers. It began with the departure of Julen Lopetegui and despite Potter arriving to steady the ship, a number of injuries to important players has led to an element of desperation to do business and strengthen key areas of the squad.

No business is yet to be completed, though, despite the need for a striker to be signed lasting two weeks, arguably a lot longer.

But it appears the club has finally sprung into action.

Potter’s arrival sparked hope of a more considered approach to transfers. Potter and his recruitment team become renowned for signing relatively unknown players on the cheap and then selling them for big profit a few years later.

And we seem to be a step closer to that becoming a reality, with the news of two deals expected to be concluded this week which follow that mould.

Firstly, The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg revealed on X on Wednesday that West Ham had finalised the deal to bring Kyle Macaulay to east London from Chelsea. The recruitment analyst worked with Potter at Brighton and Chelsea and is believed to be one of the manager’s crucial team members, which made him so successful at the AMEX Stadium.

Steinberg confirmed Macaulay ‘should start tomorrow’ (Thursday), just in time for him to get started on ensuring at least one striker is signed for the 3rd February transfer window deadline.

On top of Macaulay’s arrival, Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett also confirmed via X that West Ham have agreed a deal with Belgian club OH Leuven to sign Ezechiel Banzuzi.

The 19-year-old is thought to be a rising star across the continent, with some even comparing his style to Paul Pogba.

The deal to bring Banzuzi to the London Stadium is believed to be worth £10m, with £3m due in performance-based add-ons.

The Dutch U21 international is due to fly to the capital for medical over the next 24 hours.

Banzuzi is still a relatively unknown player and at just £10m up front, represents a very risk-free deal for Potter and the club. However, given Potter’s reputation, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the potential Banzuzi has and the impact he can have on our midfield.

Midfield is an area that has been a constant problem this season, with only Tomas Soucek putting in consistently good performances. Guido Rodriguez and Edson Alvarez have both suffered with their form.

So the arrival of a young and powerful central midfielder is an exciting prospect for West Ham fans.

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