**West Ham United are still trying to find their feet under Graham Potter’s leadership, but there are plans to back the Englishman this summer.**
Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui as head coach in January and inherited a highly unbalanced squad following a summer of headless splurging by the former manager and ex-technical director Tim Steidten.
Despite having to work with an impossible stack of cards, West Ham were only able to back him with one addition to the squad in January.
They signed highly rated Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion at Potter’s behest, but the Irish striker has struggled to repay the manager’s faith so far.
West Ham have a healthy buffer on the dreaded relegation zone, but they’re also far from a potential top-ten finish, leaving the 2022/23 Europa Conference League winners with nothing left to fight for.
Nevertheless, Potter is keen to finish a tumultuous season on a positive note, ahead of another potential squad overhaul in the summer.
West Ham are already making moves to bolster Potter’s squad and have made Lille midfielder Angel Gomes a primary target.
However, they’ve been dealt a brutal blow in their quest to lure the ‘[excellent](https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2024/Sep/08/angel-gomes-feature-england-v-finland-20240809)‘ 24-year-old midfielder to the London Stadium.
Gomes is set to be a free agent this summer when his contract with Lille expires, and [a number of European clubs are closely monitoring his situation](https://westhamblog.co.uk/posts/angel-gomes-would-be-a-huge-investment-for-west-ham-but-club-must-act-fast/), including La Liga giants Barcelona.
Keen to give themselves a fighting chance, West Ham tabled a £100,000 contract offer for Gomes, but it was hardly enough to tempt the English midfielder.
Unfortunately for West Ham, that may be as high as they can go.
The Hammers need to cut down their wage bill to fund a move for Gomes but have to wait till summer before offloading deadweight.
With the likes of Barca also keen on the Englishman, the Hammers can’t afford to wait that long before closing a deal for Gomes.
Besides, even if they did raise their offer, there are still several hurdles to overcome before a deal can be finalised, especially with West Ham unable to offer continental football.
At the moment, multiple sources are not confident that the Hammers can wrap up this deal.
Gomes would have been a fantastic addition to Potter’s midfield, but West Ham may have to move on to other targets.