The West Ham United players were put through their paces by Graham Potter during training at Rush Green on Friday.
Graham Potter has made a big impact at West Ham already, and we are all starting to see how his methods in training are beginning to translate onto the pitch.
The quality of football has improved drastically, and the results are picking up now as well.
Potter has always highlighted the need for that balance at West Ham, if we are to make genuine progress as a club.
The Hammers head coach definitely needs to bring some top-class signings to the London Stadium in the summer.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
However, the 49-year-old has to try and extract the most that he can out of his current crop of players as well.
One of them is going through a really rough spell right now, and the outlook seems very bleak for him.
Graham Potter has a decision to make after Evan Ferguson training ground clash
Potter brought Evan Ferguson to the Hammers from Brighton on loan on transfer deadline day last month.
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However, it has been an incredibly slow start to life with the Hammers for the 20-year-old centre-forward.
It was recently claimed that West Ham are unlikely to sign Evan Ferguson on a permanent deal in the summer.
That said, club captain Jarrod Bowen is said to be a big fan of Ferguson, so who knows what will happen in the end?
The only thing that is certain right now is that the Irishman has failed to impress during his first three substitute appearances for the Hammers.
And a training ground video has emerged from Rush Green showing Ferguson clashing with Konstantinos Mavropanos.
To say it looks like Evan is miles off it is an understatement.
The clash can be seen in the below video posted to the Hammers’ official YouTube account at the 3:51 mark:
Firstly, the Republic of Ireland international was incredibly slow to react when the ball was pinged into him by Lucas Paqueta.
And secondly, his first touch was utterly atrocious.
Finally, and perhaps most worrying, he was completely bullied physically by Mavropanos after his initial bad touch.
The big Greece international is arguably our worst centre-back. In fact, he definitely is.
So for him to get the upper hand on the Irishman so easily really should be a big worry for Potter and his staff.
After watching that, I genuinely don’t want Ferguson anywhere near the Hammers starting XI.
Graham Potter has a big Evan Ferguson decision to make
Here’s the simple fact of the matter. West Ham have only 11 Premier League games remaining this season, and Evan Ferguson is clearly still nowhere near up to full speed.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
So what was the point in Graham Potter bringing him to the London Stadium in the first place?
The 20-year-old was very good for Brighton during the 2022/23 season, but his form has fallen off a cliff since then.
As thing’s stand, it looks like Graham Potter may have made a mistake by bringing Evan Ferguson to West Ham on loan.
That said, there was no option or obligation to buy clause included in the deal, so the mistake won’t be too costly for the Hammers.
Who knows, the Irishman may come good at some point in the future, but I’ll be hugely disappointed if he is the only striker West Ham sign in the summer.