TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara was scathing of the performance that West Ham and new goalkeeper Mads Hermansen put in during the 3-0 defeat to Sunderland at the weekend.
Former Tottenham player O’Hara compared Hermansen to famous Hammers supporter Danny Dyer after being at fault for two of the three goals at the Stadium of Light:
“Absolutely pathetic from them. Been saying it, they’re in big trouble, West Ham. I thought, it’s the first game of the season, let’s see what they’re about, they’re going to play Sunderland away, they’re back in the big time, and they absolutely destroyed West Ham.”
Most Read on Hammers Headlines
“The goalkeeper – it looked like Danny Dyer in goal. What was he doing? They spent £20 million on him!”
It was an inauspicious start for Hermansen
Fans were delighted after West Ham managed to secure the signature of the Denmark international for £20m. His original asking price was nearly double what they ended up paying, and he had also attracted interest from Chelsea.
However, despite looking good with the ball at his feet, Hermansen struggled with his shot-stopping. He went down in stages for Eliezer Mayenda’s opener, and he then allowed Wilson Isador’s shot to go under him for the Black Cats’ third in injury time.
Where do West Ham go from here?
Head coach Graham Potter started two of his new signings against Sunderland. El-Hadji Diouf was named at left wingback, along with Hermansen in goal, while Callum Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters were among the substitutes.
However, going into the summer, Potter was hoping for a much bigger overhaul of the squad, but financial constraints have limited his ability to make the changes he wants. The opening day result demonstrates that much more needs to be done in the transfer market between now and September 1st.
In other news, West Ham have reportedly had a £45m bid rejected for a Chelsea midfielder