by Staff Writer
Wednesday, 13th August 2025
Graham Potter insists there is no need to pursue wholesale changes to his first team squad, as supporters become increasingly concerned over West Ham's ability to remain competitive in the Premier League this season.
With little more than a fortnight remaining until the summer transfer window closes, and 72 hours until the first League fixture of the campaign at Sunderland, Potter has introduced four new players to his first team squad to replace a slew of departees at the end of last season.
Of particular concern to many fans however is the lack of depth in midfield, with the likes of Guido Rodriguez, Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Maxwel Cornet having either failed to impress last term or, in the latter's case, not feature at all.
And despite recent links to players such as Southampton's Mateus Fernandes and Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss, it is widely felt that the squad remains understaffed in key, central areas.
However that is not of immediate concern to Potter, who insisted today that his job is to work with and improve the output from the players already at his disposal.
"The coach's job is to build something," said Potter, who told fans back in May to expect "an exciting, interesting summer". "You've got to try and improve your team, improve the club, improve the players. That's the trick.
"I don't think we needed drastic change. It's tempting to think that the solution is going to be external but, from my perspective, the focus should always be on the players you have - with an eye on improving.
"When we arrived there was, for different reasons, a low-trust environment. When you change the manager halfway through the season, there's a feeling something isn't quite working.
"If you look back over a 12-month period up to that point, the team had conceded a lot of goals which is an indication that, maybe, something wasn't quite right on a cultural or foundation level.
"It was something we started to do a lot of work with last season. We did make some progress but pre-season gives you a chance to make more of an inroad, which I think we have done."
And Potter, who was provided with substantial financial backing with which to transform Chelsea when briefly in charge at Stamford Bridge also suggested that having a large transfer war chest can prove to be just as detrimental as having access to limited funds.
"I've experienced what £300m can do," he said. "It's not always positive.
You just deal with what you have, work with the people in the club and represent it the best way, by staying as close to the person I am as I can. I think I've done that pretty much all my career.
"I feel like we've made some steps [here at West Ham] but at the same time, we know we're going into the Premier League. Until we start, we're optimistic and we're hopeful, but we also know the competition."
And the Head Coach, who has struggled to win over some sections of the club's fanbase in the wake of a difficult start to his tenure when he was introduced to save the mess left over from Julen Lopetegui's short reign, admitted that he was still unsure as to how he is perceived by supporters.
"I don't know what the perception of me is to be honest," he admitted. "But I've always tried to do what I think is the right thing for the club. At the end of the day, West Ham is the most important thing. I'm an employee."
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