Part of any deal to sell Mohammed Kudus will be to identify and secure a replacement. The Hammers are somewhat light on the left hand side of attack with Crysencio Summerville injured and then just the unpolished talents of Luis Guilherme and the mediocre Maxi Cornet who isn’t as good as he thinks he is. So another forward who can do as Kudus did and play across the forward line would be an enormous asset to Graham Potter for the 2025-6 season.
Another ‘blast from the past’ name resurfaced this morning but one who’s having a bit of a purple patch at the Club World Cup: Columbian Jhon Arias is the subject of a report from [football-talk.co.uk](https://football-talk.co.uk/218065/west-ham-initiate-contacts-to-sign-fluminenses-jhon-arias/) who suggest that:
_“West Ham initiate contacts to sign Fluminense’s Jhon Arias: The 27-year-old is a right winger by trait, but is also comfortable in the second striker role and on the opposite side. He has burst onto the scene, having displayed impressive performances in the Club World Cup this summer._
_In four matches, he has made two goal contributions. Moreover, he helped his side reach the quarterfinals of this competition by defeating Inter Milan in the last 16 last night. .. He was the player of the match._
_From the summer 2024 links with Jhon Arias_
_Arias is strong, quick, efficient in holding up the play, and is capable of dribbling past opposition defenders in tight areas; moreover, he works hard without possession. Therefore, he would be an ideal option to replace Kudus.”_
Not fitting the Potter profile, Arias at 27 would be an inexpensive high-quality addition. But he’s not a number nine so difficult to see how high he’d be in WestHam’s priorities. It’s also higher-risk bringing players to the Premier League later in their careers, especially when they’ve not played in Europe before. The Hammers were linked with Jhon Arias last summer and nothing transpired: I have a feeling there’s likely to be the same outcome in 2025.