It would be an understatement to suggest that West Ham United have had a bad start to the season this year.
Sure, the Hammers managed to pull off an impressive 3-0 win away to Nottingham Forest before the international break, but they've lost every other game.
The East Londoners are currently sitting in the relegation zone with a goal difference of negative seven, and as things stand, it's hard to see where the next win is going to come from.
West Ham United manager Graham Potter and assistant manager Bruno Saltor
However, Graham Potter can certainly make things easier for his side and give himself a better chance og keeping his job by axing a certain player from the starting lineup.
West Ham's underperformers
Unfortunately for Potter and Co, there are more than a handful of players who've looked entirely out of sorts so far this season.
One of those is undoubtedly Mads Hermansen, as even though he wasn't to blame for the loss away to Sunderland, and even pulled off a fine stop early on in that match, he's since been a real hazard between the sticks.
For example, according to FBref, his save percentage has fallen from 64.5% for Leicester City last season to just 45% this year.
Another struggling member of the defensive unit has been Max Kilman, who has started all four league games this season, in which the team have conceded a whopping 11 goals.
Moreover, in the game against Spurs, he lost 100% of his ground duels, misplaced five of six long balls, failed in 100% of his attempted dribbles and didn't make a single tackle or interception.
max-kilman-west-ham
However, there is another regular starter in the side who simply has to be dropped for the next game, and for Potter's own future.
The West Ham star Potter has to drop
While there are likely a few other names that could be mentioned here, we are talking about James Ward-Prowse.
The former Southampton captain joined the Hammers for £30m in the summer of 2023, and while there have certainly been some decent performances from the 30-year-old since, it would be hard to describe his move as anything other than a failure.
Indeed, in the words of former Hammers midfielder Martin Allen, when Ward-Prowse arrived, he could have done a job "similar to Mark Noble" in claret and blue but unfortunately it hasn't panned out that way.
After all, he was sent out on loan to Forest last season, and then even at the City Ground, he was such an afterthought that he moved back to the London Stadium in early February.
West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse
Since then, the 11-capped Englishman has been a constant in the team and has started all five games this season, although once again, considering the results, that is not an indication of his quality.
In fact, many fans are now desperate for the manager to remove the former Saints star from the lineup, as while he was once considered "the best in the Premier League" for set-pieces, per Jamie Carragher, he now appears to offer very little.
Ward-Prowse's PL stats
Appearances
Minutes
Expected Goals
Goals
Expected Assists
Assists
Shots
Duels Won
Successful Dribbles
Dribbled pas per Game
Accurate Crosses
All Stats via Sofascore
For example, he has yet to register a goal or assist this season, averaging just 2.5 key passes, creating only two big chances, and being accurate in 50% of his crosses.
Moreover, he does not have the agility or speed to play in a deeper midfield role, so he cannot even really help out with the defensive side of the game either.
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A perfect example of his lack of speed came last season when Arsenal's David Raya beat him to the ball from a corner he had come up for, and if an outfield player is slower than a goalkeeper, that is more than a little worrying.
Finally, it shouldn't even be a tough decision to remove the Portsmouth-born midfielder from the side, as the highly-rated Soungoutou Magassa just joined the club and would surely do so much more.
Ultimately, Ward-Prowse is a talented player and someone with a career most players would love to have, but the end of last season and the start of this one have proven that he must be dropped from the side.