Potter may be under pressure within weeks if he can't change the Iron's momentumplaceholder image
Potter may be under pressure within weeks if he can't change the Iron's momentum | Getty Images
All the latest West Ham news and transfer rumours following an opening day to forget.
West Ham got off to the worst possible start to the new season, losing their first Premier League game of the campaign against newly promoted Sunderland, and by three goals, no less.
The Hammers came into this season with little momentum, and there will already be concerns over whether Potter can turn things around after just one game. The Iron need to bounce back next week to avoid that negative momentum setting in, and in the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding the London Stadium.
Paquetá decision
West Ham are said to be determined to keep Lucas Paquetá, which should come as no surprise after the departure of Mohammed Kudus this summer.
Shearer blasts West Ham
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer has said he is concerned for Graham Potter after West Ham’s opening day humbling at the hands of Sunderland.
He said on Match of the Day: “I would be [concerned]. That’s Graham Potter’s biggest defeat as West Ham manager. They haven’t replaced Kudus, two new players in the starting lineup. Callum Wilson came on, but Bowen was their main threat, particularly in the first half. The second half would be the one to worry about because, once they conceded that first goal, they folded like a pack of cards. There was no spark, no energy, and there was certainly no reaction at all, and that would be the worrying thing already.”
Potter unhappy with Sunderland display
Potter wasn’t happy himself with his side’s performance in the North-East. He said after the game: “In the first half, I thought we were good. I thought we did lots well in terms of quieting the crowd down and creating some opportunities. We could have scored, I thought, but nevertheless, we felt OK.
“We started a bit slow in the second half, and from out of nowhere, a goal goes in and it becomes difficult. It was a game where probably the first goal, especially here with the environment, was going to be challenging for us. But we tried to push. But in trying to push, we opened ourselves up. The second goal’s a poor one - a mistake leads to a cheap set-piece, and then we didn’t do the basics well enough in the second phase. We haven’t done the basics well enough - it’s as simple as that, and we have to improve that.”
“We have to do the basics better, for sure. We have to learn this painful lesson, because if you don’t, you can talk about how well you play, or about attacking football or whatever, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. If you don’t do the basics well, then it’s hard to win games. So, we have to really improve that, get back to Rush Green and start working again.”
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