West Ham face Sunderland in their first game of the new Premier League season and Graham Potter looks set to make five changes after a big call on new signing Mads Hermansen.
The Hammers kick off the new Premier League campaign against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The last thing Graham Potter would have wanted was for West Ham to face a newly-promoted team away from home on the opening day.
That’s what Potter has got, though, and a partisan crowd is expected to greet the Hammers as Sunderland celebrate being back where they feel they belong.
Pundits and journalists have been tipping both West Ham and the Black Cats for relegation.
So there is already a lot at stake from the off for both Potter and Regis Le Bris.
Five West Ham changes predicted for Sunderland
All the top pundits have had their say on the Sunderland vs West Ham clash.
West Ham will be furious about a Premier League announcement for the game which may bode well for Sunderland.
The jury is very much out on Potter in east London.
The Irons won just five of his 19 games in charge in the second half of last season – a worse record than his predecessor Julen Lopetegui.
Thus far many West Ham fans have been unenthused by Potter and his style of football.
Now, with his own signings in the door and a full pre-season under his belt, there are no excuses or hiding places for the Englishman.
One of those signings is top goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
Leicester demanded over £30m for Hermansen when West Ham first registered their interest.
But in the end the Hammers managed to get the great Dane for less than £18m.
That is a club record amount for a goalkeeper at West Ham.
So Hermansen has clearly been brought in as Potter’s new number one.
Especially against the backdrop of Alphonse Areola’s poor form since the manager’s arrival in January.
West Ham’s alarming lack of depth and quality means the team almost picks itself from the get-go this season.
But all eyes will be on whether Potter drops Areola and throws Hermansen straight in after just one week training with the club.
Potter’s West Ham obsession with Ward-Prowse continues
Five West Ham changes are predicted for Sunderland after a big Hermansen call from Potter.
The Hammers boss looks likely to give in to his obsession with starting James Ward-Prowse in central midfield as West Ham take on Sunderland.
Ward-Prowse is indicative of all West Ham’s midfield problems. Slow, immobile, lacking in pace and power and offering little beyond sideways passing and set-pieces.
A great pro and teammate no doubt, but a large section of West Ham fans feel Ward-Prowse must be replaced by a top new midfielder before the window closes.
The Hammers missed out on Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle and have seen a bid for Mateus Fernandes rejected by Southampton.
For now, Potter sticks by his main man Ward-Prowse, meaning poor old reliable Tomas Soucek will be on the bench once again.
£18m new boy Hermansen made to wait for Hammers bow
Ward-Prowse started West Ham’s last competitive game, the 3-1 win over Ipswich in May.
But we believe Potter will be starting five players who didn’t when they face Sunderland.
Hermansen won’t be one of them with Potter electing to stick with Areola.
Hermansen should be West Ham’s number one for years to come so there is no rush to get him in between the sticks.
Areola has been nervy and error-prone. But it looks like the Frenchman will keep his place for now until Hermansen has been training with the team for a while longer or Areola makes a mistake.
Areola will replace Lukasz Fabianski, who started at Ipswich, in change number one.
Nayef Aguerd looks set to come in for Konstantinos Mavropanos in change number two for the Sunderland clash.
Edson Alvarez, Ollie Scarles and Soucek also started at Portman Road in May.
But all three will be dropped with new signing El Hadji Malick Diouf, young midfielder Freddie Potts and Lucas Paqueta coming in.
Captain Jarrod Bowen will partner Niclas Fullkrug up front.
Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Sunderland:
Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd, Diouf, Potts, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta, Bowen, Fullkrug.
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