00:00West Ham United are entering a transformative period under Graham Potter as they aim to reset
00:09and rebuild following a frustrating 14th place finish last season. This summer isn't about big
00:16headlines but rather about meaningful change. Potter's arrival signals a clear shift in
00:21philosophy. Instead of reactive spending or short-term fixes, the Hammers are embracing
00:27a more deliberate long-term strategy focused on identity, cohesion and internal growth.
00:33The biggest change isn't just who joins but how the club thinks. Recruitment is now centred on
00:39players who fit Potter's system and mentality, technically sound, tactically flexible and
00:45mentally aligned with the collective ethos. We spoke to James Jones of London World to understand
00:51the direction of proceedings at the London Stadium. Behind the scenes, West Ham are streamlining
00:57the squad, promoting youth and building a structure that supports sustained progress,
01:03not just a bounce back. Now the fans are just hoping it works on the pitch.
01:08So James, in terms of West Ham's summer window, obviously it's been fairly quiet so far in
01:16terms of incomes especially. Do you feel that it's going to eventually start to hot up and
01:21there's going to be new names throughout the door? What can West Ham expect and the fans expect for
01:26the remainder? Because obviously, we've mentioned before, this isn't Graham Potter's full squad. He wants
01:32to make sure he's got some names he can rely on for this season that, you know, because of the sort
01:38of issues that were there last season, it does come with a bit of pressure, this new campaign.
01:43It comes with a lot of pressure. I think this is one of the most important summers for a very long
01:50time where West Ham's concerned. They need to do a lot of work. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be
01:57fixed after what happened last season and obviously the last summer's transfer windows and that not
02:04really turning into anything other than a bit of a failure. And, you know, now we're, you know,
02:10it was only about a month ago, even before the transfer window opened, that the rumours were that
02:15the club had to sell before they could buy for, you know, PSR reasons and all the rest of it.
02:19So that's added a lot more worry from an expectation point of view, where the fans are concerned.
02:24The fans expect the squad to be stronger before a ball is kicked in the Premier League when we
02:33travel to Sunderland on the opening weekend. But realistically speaking, I think it's going
02:40to be unlikely that the squad is going to be ready for that first game. But once one or two players
02:46are sold, and I think that's what the club are waiting for, they're waiting for one or two big
02:50exits. So then in order for them to be able to then fund some deals, which, you know, we're now
02:56being led to believe, you know, deals are waiting to happen. It's just whether we can get some exits
03:01out the door to then fund these incomings. So there are one or two signings that we're led to
03:06believe are on the verge of happening, which will improve the squad. But there's so many,
03:12just one or two won't be enough. There's so much work to be done across all areas of the squad,
03:16really. So it's a little bit of a concerning time for West Ham and the supporters, I think.
03:22Well, there's pretty much everywhere in the squad needs strengthening. You know, we learned towards
03:29the back end of last season, towards the end that Graham Potter prefers a back five. So we need help,
03:36sort of a third, solid third centre-back. You know, Tadibo's joined permanently after his loan spell.
03:41He'll be one of, will be him, Kilman, and someone else. Zouma left on a three after his loan spell.
03:50Mavropanos can play there, but, you know, he's probably only good enough to really be a backup
03:55moving forward. So we definitely need another centre-back who is capable of playing in a back five
04:00or a back three, depending on the formation. Left-back is another one. Aaron Cresswell left at the end
04:06of his contract. That leaves us with only Emerson, who is rumoured to be, apparently has been told he
04:12can leave the club. And, you know, in an ideal world, we've got so many good players in the squad
04:18already. In an ideal world, we wouldn't, don't, shouldn't, we don't really want to sell anyone.
04:23We just want to add to the squad, add more quality to the squad. And the players that were already there
04:27are good enough to be backups, you know, on their day. But it doesn't look like we're going to,
04:33we're going to have that luxury. It's going to be a case of probably one in, one out and hopefully
04:37that at least improves the starting 11, at the very least, at least.
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