West Ham legend Tony Cottee is in no mood to mince his words about Graham Potter and the club as he fired a brutal warning and ramped up transfer pressure.
The Hammers are standing at a crossroads after a terrible 18 months for the club.
David Moyes, Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten have all paid the price by departing West Ham in that time.
But Graham Potter failed to get lift-off in his half a season in charge, winning just five of the 19 matches since his arrival in January.
Jury still out on Potter after underwhelming West Ham start
The malaise at West Ham can be charted all the way back to January 2024.
The Hammers have won only 15 of their 57 Premier League games since then.
Despite spending £155m last summer and two managerial changes, West Ham could only finish 14th last term.
A fiercely competitive Premier League season is in prospect next term with Leeds having over £100m to spend, Burnley an immovable object defensively and Sunderland also looking to spend big.
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West Ham insist PSR is preventing them from making any signings until players have been sold.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
That’s after Potter pledged fans are in for an ‘exciting and interesting’ transfer window.
Going into the second week of the summer window, though, the Hammers have a watching brief.
Potter has been criticised by some West Ham fans for taking a holiday having only just returned to football after a near two-year break.
With no sales imminent, though, the Hammers face the prospect of missing out on key targets to other clubs.
A midfield overhaul and new strikers are the club’s top priorities.
Cottee fires brutal warning over Potter’s future
What West Ham and Potter could do for one like Tony Cottee.
Unfortunately he hung his boots up long ago. But his opinion still carries plenty of weight in east London.
The Hammers goalscoring legend was an outspoken critic of the decision to part company with Moyes and appoint Lopetegui.
He has played his cards close to his chest in recent months.
But now Cottee has fired a brutal warning over Potter’s future and ramped up the West Ham transfer pressure.
Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images
Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images
Cottee has been playing at a charity golf event in Portugal.
While there Sky Sports News picked Cottee’s brain about his old club and Potter. And he was in no mood to mince his words.
The lifelong Hammers fanatic has warned West Ham and Potter there are ‘no more excuses’ when the new season starts.
He says Potter and the club must now bring his players in.
But Cottee thinks Potter could be in trouble after just six games if West Ham don’t start well because fans gave him a free hit last season.
“Absolutely big summer for Graham Potter,” Cottee said.
“I think the West Ham fans – me being one of them – we sort of put up with a little bit of what went on last season.
Cottee ramps up West Ham transfer pressure
“But there’s no excuses now. You get to the summer, you get the players in that you want and I think it will be an interesting first six games for West Ham!
“They’ve got to start getting results, they were one of those teams down the bottom with Tottenham, Man United, Everton as well – all of those teams have got to do better next season.”
Cottee is spot on here – but whether he can actually get his players in this summer is going to be the biggest question.
Paul Merson has warned Potter might need five years to turn West Ham around.
As Cottee points out, patience among Hammers fans has already worn thin ahead of the new season.
West Ham must hope for a kind fixture list to start the new campaign.
But with no European schedule to juggle with and a full pre-season, Cottee is right there really won’t be any excuses for Potter.