West Ham lost their last home game of a miserable season to Nottingham Forest, but they are losing so much more as a host of long-serving stars said goodbye.
It was somewhat apt that West Ham ended a torrid campaign at the London Stadium as they started it – by losing 2-1.
Although Hammers fans were underwhelmed by Julen Lopetegui’s appointment, there was optimism in the air after a £155m summer spend when the Hammers welcomed Aston Villa for the season opener back in August.
Lopetegui is long gone and there have been just five wins in the Premier League at the London Stadium since.
West Ham’s botched farewell to departing heroes
His replacement Graham Potter has failed to turn things around thus far, winning only four of his 18 games in charge.
Potter has been given grace until he has his own players in this summer.
With that in mind, the Hammers boss ruthlessly started clearing the decks at West Ham last week.
It was announced the club are releasing long-serving trio Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski and Vladimir Coufal.
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The players have 23 years of service and over 700 appearances between them for the Hammers.
Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images
Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images
Speculation had been rife all three could be in line for new one-year deals.
So the announcement that West Ham were to cut ties was somewhat surprising to many.
Especially as the Hammers have to sell players to raise money for signings due to PSR this summer and clearly already lack character and leadership based on results, performances and league position.
Cresswell and Coufal have been brought into the side for the last two matches and have made a mockery of the decision not to retain them, at least as squad players, by being among the team’s better players against Man United and Forest.
Videos of Cresswell, Fabianski and Coufal distraught and in tears saying goodbye ahead of the Forest game have had West Ham fans feeling emotional.
West Ham star rages at Potter over his handling of final game
The Hammers have been criticised for not giving Cresswell a testimonial after 11 years in east London.
He was honoured before kick-off and handed a signed and framed commemorative shirt.
But West Ham’s lethargic, uninspiring performance in yet another defeat meant there were less than 10,000 supporters left in the ground to say a proper goodbye to him and other departing stars during the lap of appreciation after the game.
Potter has been criticised for the way he handled Cresswell’s substitution in the game too.
The Hammers stalwart was lost in a sea of subs as he left the London Stadium pitch for the last time.
Meanwhile Fabianski, who many feel is a better goalkeeper than Alphonse Areola, had to sit on the bench.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
And the West Ham star has raged at Potter over how he handled his emotional farewell.
Many expected and hoped Fabianski would start his last ever West Ham home game.
Especially as it is splitting hairs between him and Areola over who deserves to be the team’s number one goalkeeper anyway.
Areola duly made another howler as he gifted Nottingham Forest the opening goal by passing the ball straight to Morgan Gibbs-White on the edge of his own box.
Fabianski could be seen in tears walking around the pitch after the game to a ground not even one sixth full.
It was not a fitting way for the long-serving Polish legend to bow out.
Fabianski unhappy with Potter over cold-hearted approach
And he has told Potter as much in his native tongue, in a TV interview after the game.
Pulling no punches given he is leaving anyway, Fabianski said Potter handled the situation all wrong.
“I feel disappointed with how it looked today (for my last game),” Fabianski told Via Play Sport Poland.
“I secretly hoped that I would be able to say goodbye to the fans at the home match by being on the pitch (as a starter) or for at least a moment (as a substitute).”
Mocno rozżalony Łukasz Fabiański po ostatnim domowym meczu West Hamu.
🔈Fabiański: Czuję się rozczarowanym tym, jak to dzisiaj wyglądało. Po cichu liczyłem, że będzie mi dane pożegnać się z kibicami w meczu domowym będąc chociaż przez chwilę na boisku. #domPremierLeague pic.twitter.com/CSTvhXdjRO
— Viaplay Sport Polska (@viaplaysportpl) May 18, 2025
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Hammers fans have been heavily criticising Potter’s handling of the farewell game too, especially given they had nothing to play for.
It was poor from Potter and those actions will stick in the minds of other players who do remain at the club next season.