Pre-season could make for very intriguing viewing at West Ham United as Graham Potter looks to build the Premier League strugglers in his own image.
Following an underwhelming 2024/25 campaign – and with a number of experienced players heading out the door – West Ham plan to ‘reinvent’ Graham Potter’s roster.
And not a moment too soon.
Hammers News have been told, from a top source at the London Stadium, that West Ham United plan to rebuild their squad around a young, hungry core of high-potential players. And that does not just mean new signings, although the team sitting 15th ahead of Sunday’s clash with Nottingham Forest are looking at a number of options on the market.
George Earthy will be given his chance by Potter after winning Bristol City’s Player of the Year award. The likes of Callum Marshall and Mason Terry may also be handed opportunities in the off-season, returning from fine spells at Huddersfield Town and Hornchurch respectively.
Patrick Kelly won the League Two title at Doncaster Rovers, meanwhile.
A tenacious midfielder who earned cult hero status in South Yorkshire, both the Doncaster supporters and manager Grant McCann were delighted to see Kelly make the step up from academy football to the unforgiving world of senior sport.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Patrick Kelly plans to make West Ham mark after Doncaster Rovers loan
Now, in quotes reported by News Letter, the 20-year-old Northern Irishman is hoping to recover from a season-ending hamstring injury in time for what could be the most important pre-season of his young career so far.
“It is a case of waiting to see what happens,” Kelly explains. “I tore my hamstring three weeks before the end of the season, so I’m currently rehabbing, and then I’m returning home for two weeks.
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“The plan is to do pre-season at West Ham as I’ve yet to work under the new manager. And then I’ll evaluate my options.
“The younger lads who stayed have spoken really positively about the new manager, so I’m excited to work with him as I know he plays good football.”
Northern Ireland starlet ‘buzzing’ with League Two title success
Potter has informed Earthy directly that the silky England Under-21 ace will be given a chance to catch the eye.
Kelly, recently called up into the U21 set-up himself for Northern Ireland, is another who appears to have outgrown the relatively small pond that is youth-team football. During his first loan spell away from South London, Kelly played 38 games in all competitions as Doncaster secured their return to League One.
“I am buzzing to win the league with Doncaster Rovers,” Kelly adds. “When I first spoke to the gaffer [McCann], he outlined how winning the league was the aim. That was a big incentive for me as I had offers from lower-end League One clubs.
“We managed to hit form at just the right time and got the job done.
“It felt incredible to see how much it meant to the supporters and I feel I was bedded into the club. I remember one of my first games was away to Everton in the Carabao Cup and we had 4 or 5,000 people there and they were loud.
“I think we had around 15,000 fans at home towards the end of the season. I think Rovers will do well in League One with that fan base behind them.”
A full season in the fourth-tier has taught Patrick Kelly far more lessons than he could ever have hoped to learn in Premier League 2.
Two years after West Ham thrashed Arsenal 5-1 in the FA Youth Cup final, the likes of Kelly, Earthy, Terry, Gideon Kodua and left-back Oliver Scarles are continuing to move in the right direction.
“I was taken aback by how good some players are technically [in League Two],” Kelly explains. “As there are a number of players who have played in the Premier League or Championship.
“It was certainly harder than I thought it was going to be and you don’t get much time on the ball.”