West Ham United manager Graham Potter during a Premier League fixture.placeholder image
West Ham United manager Graham Potter during a Premier League fixture. | Getty Images
West Ham United are still targeting additional squad improvements ahead of the new season
West Ham United are approaching the new season with questions remaining unanswered as Graham Potter prepares to begin his first full season in charge of the club.
This could be an important year in Potter’s managerial career and so he will know that it is important to get things right at London Stadium after last season’s lacklustre 14th-placed finish.
Midfield has therefore become a key area for improvement in the remainder of the window. Southampton have already rejected a Hammers bid for young star Mateus Fernandes, while an target in attacking midfield has emerged according to recent reports.
West Ham ‘courting’ Roma star Lorenzo Pellegrini
Reported by La Repubblica in Italy, West Ham are ‘courting’ Roma and Italy ace Lorenzo Pellegrini, who is comfortable playing across the midfield and in forward areas. The report states that the Premier League side are ready to make an offer ‘in the coming days’, with the player waiting to find out his future after spending eight seasons with the Serie A giants.
Reports state that Pellegrini has doubts over his future at Roma since the arrival of new manager Gian Piero Gasperini, particularly after enduring a ‘subdued’ 2024/25 campaign where he registered just three goals and three assists. Despite this, the 29-year-old is known as one of the best midfielders in Italy on his day and is famed for his passing, eye for goal and leadership qualities.
Though he may not be a long-term solution, Pellegrini could offer a smart replacement for Kudus’ creative output for Potter’s side. Having never left Serie A in his career, the Roma academy prospect may relish the chance to experience new surroundings and prove himself in England.
Jose Mourinho was a big fan of Pellegrini
Former Roma manager Jose Mourinho, who managed the Italian side between 2021 and 2024 and won the Conference League at the club, viewed Pellegrini as a hugely valuable member of his side and praised the Italy international during his early months as manager.
Mourinho said: “He can play in all those roles [No.10 and in midfield]. If we had three Pellegrinis, then I would play all three of them in the team. I won’t leave even one of them on the bench. He’s a versatile player, he can adapt to a number of different roles and positions. The other day he even played wide on the right for a bit. He also created that great moment from which Tammy [Abraham] hit the crossbar. Lorenzo is intelligent, he knows the game, he knows what the coach is asking from him. If we had three, all three would play.”
Following this up in 2022, Mourinho added: “I said I wanted three in the team a while ago. Now he’s a great player, who has matured, he can play more than three roles. He has great quality and maturity. He’s worth a lot to us. We don’t have many in the three-quarter line, I can’t tell you if he’ll always play as a midfielder. There are a lot of games. I can tell you that Lorenzo will play everywhere, because he can. I’m not forcing him, he feels comfortable in every area of the pitch.”
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