West Ham United worked absolute wonders by selling one player in particular last summer.
And Graham Potter needs to try and replicate that this time around, with funds tight at West Ham right now.
The Hammers head coach is said to be plotting a huge squad rebuild this summer at the London Stadium.
However, in order to facilitate that, Potter needs to sell some players first.
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Perhaps the 49-year-old should take inspiration from one of the player sales West Ham made last summer.
West Ham worked a miracle by selling Flynn Downes for £18m
Flynn Downes joined West Ham for around £12 million from Swansea City in the summer of 2022.
However, he was moved on just two years later for a whopping £18 million after spending the previous campaign on loan at St Mary’s (The Athletic).
Flynn Downes left West Ham and immediately began this season with Southampton in fine form, in spite of his side’s struggles as a team.
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However, things have gone very much downhill for him at St Mary’s over the past few months.
Downes, 26, is a solid player, but he’s Championship quality at best.
Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images
He was never progressive enough with his passing to make it at the very highest level, and he definitely didn’t have that so-called ‘special sauce’.
Why Flynn Downes was dropped from Southampton squad
The hard-working midfielder was recently banished from Ivan Juric’s squad, after his supposed unprofessional behaviour during the January transfer window.
Juric dropped Flynn Downes from the first-team squad after his behaviour following a failed move to Ipswich Town late on in the January window.
And he has played just 152 minutes of Premier League football for Southampton since Boxing Day 2024.
Flynn Downes has clearly fallen foul of Ivan Juric’s strict regime at Southampton, and the fact that West Ham got £18 million for him now looks like unbelievable business from us.
His professionalism was never called into question during his time at the London Stadium, but his attitude has clearly slipped since his West Ham days.