Excluding players out on loan, West Ham currently have five players who will be out of contract in the summer.
Danny Ings, Vladimir Coufal, Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, and Lukasz Fabianski are all currently on course to be released come the end of June.
In what’s been a dismal season for the Hammers, it feels natural that there will be a few players being offloaded in the summer, but should all five of these players be let go for free by Graham Potter?
It always feels like a blow to let players leave on a free rather than cash in on them, but with all the aforementioned players being in their 30s, their resale values aren’t very high.
Should West Ham keep any of their soon-to-be free agents
One player who feels like a no-brainer to release this summer is Danny Ings, who has become something of a forgotten man at West Ham of late.
The striker joined for £15million in the January transfer window of 2023, but hasn’t had the impact he was signed for, scoring just five goals in 69 appearances for the Hammers.
The 32-year-old has struggled for game time this season, starting just one game in the league and scoring just one goal, and it feels inevitable that he will be leaving in the summer.
Meanwhile, three players who have been fantastic servants for the club that are out of contract in June are Antonio, Fabianski and Cresswell.
Antonio’s well documented car accident in December has almost taken away attention from the 35-year-old’s contractual situation, but the club legend is yet to sign a contract to keep him at the club beyond the summer. There is currently no indication of a new contract being on the table for the striker, but there is hope in the fanbase that they haven’t seen the last of him just yet.
At 39-years-old, Fabianski is reaching the twilight of his career, but with the club having an option to extend the Polish international’s contract, we could well see another year of a goalkeeper that has also been phenomenal for the club, and I’m sure most West Ham fans would welcome this with open arms.
Finally, Cresswell has seen more game time in recent weeks under Potter and has also put in some impressive performances in those games. For a player who has been at the club for 11 years, if he continues this form, it could well warrant another contract extension which would be brilliant for squad depth.
Finally, recent reports have emerged that Coufal was close to an exit from the club in the January transfer window, with Fulham trying to land a deal for the full-back on deadline day.
The Czech international has suggested the club refused to let him go, and Coufal admitted his frustration at not being allowed to leave.
After this recent revelation, it also appears that Coufal could well be out the door in the summer after a fantastic five years at the club.