West Ham Online

May as well get going with this since with Sullivan at the helm, season ticket renewals slow, and the football vacuum to commence, this will soon be all the "news" there is.

Can Potter and MacCauley pull multiple rabbits out of the hat, or will Sullivan 'try really hard' with all of them before grabbing a few aging bargains from Big Willie Salthouse?

Window this close season comes in two parts:

Part 1: 1st June to 10th June
Part 2: 16th June to 1st September

Rumoured Outs...most of the squad

Let the "Rumoured In's" commence. 

------------------------------------------------------------

Player | Position | Club | Fee (GBP)

Rumoured In

1. Daniel Cummings | ST | Celtic
2. Koni De Winter | CB | Genoa
3. Morten Frendrup | DM | Genoa
4. Richard Kone | ST | Wycombe
5. Aaron Ramsdale | GK | Southampton
6. Caiomin Kelleher | GK | Liverpool
7. James Trafford | GK | Burnley
8. Kyle Walker-Peters | FB | Free Agent
9. Taylor Harwood-Bellis | CB | Southampton
10. CJ Egan-Riley | CB | Free Agent
11. Josh Brownhill | CM | Free Agent
12. Albian Hajdari | CB | Lugano
13. Lucas Høgsberg | CB | FC Nordsjælland
14. Ardon Jashari | CM | Brugge
15. Raphael Onyedika | CM | Brugge
16. James McAtee | AM | Man City
17. Mario Struykens | AM | Anderlecht
18. Mathias Kvistgaarden | ST | Brondby
19. Clement Bischoff | LB | Brondby
20. Mika Biereth | FW | Monaco
21. Barış Alper Yılmaz | AM | Galatasaray
22. Evann Guessand | ST | Nice
23. Lucas Stassin | ST | Saint Etienne
24. Marcus Taverner | FW | Bournemouth
25. Soungoutoo Magassa | CDM | Monaco
26. Valentin Atangana | CM | Stade Reims
27. Mads Hermansen | GK | Leicester City
28. Hamza Igamane | ST | Rangers
29. Yeremay | FW | Deportivo La Coruna
30. Adama Bojang | ST | Reims
31. Rocco Reitz | MF | Borussia Moenchengladbach
32. Dominic Calvert-Lewin | ST | Free Agent
33. El Hadji Malick Diouf | LB | SK Slavia Prague
34. Oscar Mingueza | RB/MF | Celta Vigo
35. Tyler Morton | CM | Liverpool
36. Harvey Elliott | AM | Liverpool
37. Zion Suzuki | GK | Parma
38. John Victor | GK | Botofogo 
39. Jacob Ramsey | MF | Villa
40. Mateus Fernandes | CM | Southampton
41. Nga Makou | CM | Lille
42. Quinten Timber | CM
43. Hayden Hackney | CM | Boro
44. Yves Bissouma | CM | Spurs

Rumoured Out

1. Nayef Aguerd | CB | Leverkusen, Marseile
2. Maxel Cornet | FW | Genoa/Others
3. Guido Rodriguez | DM | Betis/Espanyol
4. Tomas Soucek | CM | Everton
5. Michail Antonio | ST | Free Agent
6. Mo Kudus | FW | Chelsea/Newcastle/Arsenal
7. Lucas Paqueta | AM | Man City
8. Andy Irving | CM | Celtic/Wrexham
9. Emerson | LB | Marseille

Confirmed In

1. Jean Clair Todibo | CB | Loan To Perm (32m)
2. Daniel Cummings | ST | Celtic (Free Agent...Tribunal)
3. El Hadji Malick Diouf | LWB | Slavia Prahia | 20m
4. Kyle Walker-Peters | RWB | Free Agent
5. C****m Wilson | ST | Free Agent
6. Mads Hermansen | GK | Leicester (18m)
7. Mateus Fernandes | CM | Southampton (38m + 4m)
8. Soungoutoo Magassa | CDM | Monaco (17m)
9. Igor Julio | CB | Brighton (Loan)

Confirmed Out

1. Aaron Cresswell | LB | Free Agent | 0m
2. Danny Ings | ST | Free Agent | 0m
3. Vladimir Coufal | RB | Free Agent | 0m
4. Lukusz Fabianski | GK | Free Agent | 0m
5. Kamari Swyer | AM | Free Agent | 0m
6. Kurt Zouma | CB | Free Agent | 0m
7. Carlos Soler | CM | PSG | End of Loan
8. Evan Ferguson | ST | Brighton | End of Loan
9. Brad Dolaghan | Released
10. Dondre Abraham | Released
11. Mehmet Halim | Released
12. Muhammed Judus |stroppy| sp*rs| £55m
13. Michail Antonio | Released
14. Kieran Casey | Swansea | Loan
15. Edson Alvarez | Fenerbache | Loan with Option
16. Emerson | Marseille | £1m
17. Aguerd | Marseille | £20m
18. Max Cornet | Genoa | Loan

Mad Ferret" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 14:34 Solid 6.5/10 window for me.
 

So I'd personally rate our window as a 6.5 out of 10.

Pros:

• Signed a highly rated mid 20s keeper. All be it he's had an iffy start
• Addressed athletisicism in midfield with two very highly rated early 20s players
• Kept our primary match winners in Bowen, Paqueta and Soucek
• Reduced the average age of the Starting XI with 4 new first XI starters joining
• Reduced the wage bill by around 30% ahead of PSR considerations when the Rice money no longer 'counts'
• Introduced four youth players as first team squad members at the expense of 30+ veterans
• Signed an excellent sqad member in KWP that can cover both full back positions when AfCON interfers later in the season
• Brought in striker cover with a proven PL track record who is motivated to succeed (needs 11 more goals to join the PL hundred club)

Cons:

• There is still no long term strategic solution to the central striker position
• Options to affect the game positively from the bench will remain thin on the ground (assuming Summerville becomes first choice pick)
• Pathway for key young players from the academy has been somewhat blocked (Potts, Scarles in particular)
• A lot of money has now been spent across the centre back positions, but quality remains questionable
• Squad lacks depth from a proven player perspective
• Continued lack of leadership within the first XI

On balance I'd say it was an ok window that takes us in the right direction but leaves some issues unresolved. 

Probably does what we need it to do but no more. 

The elephant in the room remains a significant striker upgrade, although other areas were probably of greater importance, and squad renewal from an age perspective has clearly taken place, with the first team squad now having only 5 non-goalkeepers over the age of 30.

Mike Oxsaw" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 14:58

Mad Ferret" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 14:34 Solid 6.5/10 window for me.

Could’ve been pushed up to a 7.5 or 8 with the addition of a younger striker to compliment the two old boys. Also, if we’d shifted a couple more deadweights, such as Guido and Potts.

Has Potts dry bum fucked Ferrets dearly beloved?

Mad Ferret" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 14:34 Solid 6.5/10 window for me.

Could’ve been pushed up to a 7.5 or 8 with the addition of a younger striker to compliment the two old boys. Also, if we’d shifted a couple more deadweights, such as Guido and Potts.

Solid 6.5/10 window for me.

Could’ve been pushed up to a 7.5 or 8 with the addition of a younger striker to compliment the two old boys. Also, if we’d shifted a couple more deadweights, such as Guido and Potts.

We've brought in 4 players 25 years old and under, 5 including todibo. What a fucking disaster it's been. 

A 4.5 out if 10 window as things stand. Magassa if a success could transform it to a 6 / 10 but based on what was needed in light of other club’s spending / strengthening and the fact that we have struggled in the league for 3 seasons, Sullivan and the board have confirmed that its short term objective only to stay in the league and protect the value if their asset ir shareholdings.  No doubt they would like us to do better but measuring the financial commitment most seasons its never much more than retaining Prem Lge status.  When we had Euro revenues to be fair more was spent ( ir should I say borrowed to be spent ) but the other problem of course is even if investment was increased, I have no confidence it would be spent well on recruitmenr.  

The protests are needed. Probably wont get them out immediately but needs to be sustained.  Sullivam and Brady have no plan or strategy for yhe footballing side of West Ham end of. The only priority has always been to increase the asset value.

Only hope we have is Macaulay and Potter’s shift to buying younger

southbankbornnbred wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 10:30

Eerie Decent" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 09:19 Come on mate, you was absolutely scathing about him.

Twice relegated, capped by England, none of that really matters. In terms of value, if he keeps up that form, as a free transfer it'll be one of our best.

I was pretty scathing, granted. I sort of still am, as I think his reported wages are high for a guy who will probably play less often than AWB.

But he’s one of us now, so I want him to do well. It’s the nature of the beast!

Fair enough, although personally, I do hope he plays more than AWB

Eerie Decent" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 09:19 Come on mate, you was absolutely scathing about him.

Twice relegated, capped by England, none of that really matters. In terms of value, if he keeps up that form, as a free transfer it'll be one of our best.

El Scorchio" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 09:23

Rossal wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 08:58 The 17 year old lad was that good he wasn't used in pre-season?  

unfortunately like Moyes, Potter doesn't seem to be the most attractive manager to get behind if you are a promising lad in the academy. 

All the way back to Allardyce, every manager we’ve had with the possible exception of Bilic (who also didn’t do it IIRC aside from Oxford) has been completely coated off for ignoring the youth players. Theres a pattern here. Of course being semi permanently on emergency ‘oh fuck we might get relegated’ mode hasn’t been overly conducive to blooding young players either. 

All I’d say is none of them have really gone on to do much elsewhere that has us kicking ourselves they left. 

 

I'm all for bashing the club and the fucked up way it's run.

That is a bit of a stretch though, son  

Eerie Decent" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 10:08 He sloped off to Arsenal at the age of 13, ffs

Fucking hell 

He sloped off to Arsenal at the age of 13, ffs

Fucking hell 

That Heaven plays for Man u now doesn't he and has played in the PL? 

 

If that article is true how embarrassing is it for Sullivan being beaten to a player to a newly promoted team when his own club is in London and just won a European trophy 

El Scorchio" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 09:23

All I’d say is none of them have really gone on to do much elsewhere that has us kicking ourselves they left. 

A 4.5 out of 10 window as things stand. Magassa if a success could transform it to a 6 / 10 but based on what was needed in light of other club’s spending / strengthening and the fact that we have struggled in the league for 3 seasons, Sullivan and the board have confirmed that its short term objective only to stay in the league and protect the value if their asset ir shareholdings.  No doubt they would like us to do better but measuring the financial commitment most seasons its never much more than retaining Prem Lge status.  When we had Euro revenues to be fair more was spent ( ir should I say borrowed to be spent ) but the other problem of course is even if investment was increased, I have no confidence it would be spent well on recruitmenr.  

The protests are needed. Probably wont get them out immediately but needs to be sustained.  Sullivam and Brady have no plan or strategy for yhe footballing side of West Ham end of. The only priority has always been to increase the asset value.

Only hope we have is Macaulay and Potter’s shift to buying younger players via analytics improving the squad materially over time. But the odds of Potter being here longer term to do that are 50:50 at best.

The next game or two will tell us if the Forest game was a blip or the start of some improvement. A lot rests on the success of this Magassa kid imo for this season imo

Rossal wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 08:58 The 17 year old lad was that good he wasn't used in pre-season?  

unfortunately like Moyes, Potter doesn't seem to be the most attractive manager to get behind if you are a promising lad in the academy. 

Come on mate, you was absolutely scathing about him.

Twice relegated, capped by England, none of that really matters. In terms of value, if he keeps up that form, as a free transfer it'll be one of our best.

Eerie Decent" wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 09:13

southbankbornnbred wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 07:51
Some of them are decent squad fodder: KWP, ageing Wilson (while fit) etc. But they don’t feel like permanent starters (although, as Eerie said, KWP doesn’t need to be).



 

 

At least you've upgraded KWP from absolutely useless to decent squad player! Even though I thought he'd be a decent player from the start, he's actually better than I thought. Clever little player, very good passing and crossing, but mostly he seems a lot better defensively than I was expecting, has a bit of nous about him, unlike AWB who is brainless.

That said, not seen enough just yet to be overly confident, but like what I've seen so far.

southbankbornnbred wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 07:51
Some of them are decent squad fodder: KWP, ageing Wilson (while fit) etc. But they don’t feel like permanent starters (although, as Eerie said, KWP doesn’t need to be).


 

 

Does seem that these young black academy lads get ill-advised.

Ngakia and Mubama both spring to mind.

The 17 year old lad was that good he wasn't used in pre-season?  

unfortunately like Moyes, Potter doesn't seem to be the most attractive manager to get behind if you are a promising lad in the academy. 

Average age of the squad was 28 last year. Oldest in the league!

Now down to 26.08 which was middle of the range last year in comparison with other teams.

Dont know if this improves us going forward but should give us more legs which is needed more than ever in the Prem these days. The youngest squads in the league last year were Chelsea, Brighton and Bournemouth and they seem to sell players for big money when they do!