Graham Potter warned his West Ham squad to shape up or be shipped out last week and it seems he really means it.
After losing to the only team worse than them in the Premier League bar the bottom three last week, Graham Potter felt West Ham pressure for the first time.
The Englishman already has a number of doubters in east London.
But most Hammers fans are reserving judgement on Potter until next season, when he will have his own team in place.
Potter has been apologetic and pleading for time already at West Ham.
It came as a leak emerged from inside the club last week, stating West Ham have included a break clause in Potter’s contract.
The source of the leak, Claret and Hugh, has close links to the Hammers hierarchy who can terminate the manager’s two-and-a-half-year contract a year early if they so wish.
Potter came out fighting after the West Ham board threat and he put everyone on notice, saying he will use the summer transfer window to make big changes.
Last summer West Ham embarked on a 21-player turnaround in the West Ham squad.
David Moyes had left the Hammers with the Premier League’s second oldest and smallest squad.
Ruthless Potter to axe full West Ham 11
Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten had only 17 players when they started their botched rebuild.
Twelve departed and nine arrived to boost the squad to 23 players. But somehow they pushed the average age up to make it the oldest in the top flight. And it has showed on the pitch this season.
Now it can be revealed an 18-player squad turnaround could be on the cards under Potter and Kyle Macaulay this summer.
Potter could be set to axe a full West Ham 11 as unwanted stars are named in a ruthless rebuild with eight signings planned.
West Ham clarified the financial situation for the summer in a Hammers News exclusive yesterday.
What has been made unequivocally clear is that sales are needed before any signings are made.
And Hammers News understands plenty are being planned.
It’s already been reported West Ham want to raise well over £100m in player sales.
Now as many as 11 players look set to leave the club with Potter hoping to sign around eight to thin out a squad that won’t have European football once again.
Unwanted stars named with eight signings planned
There is an extended transfer window this summer. It opens between June 1-10, closes for a week, then re-opens until September.
West Ham have been busy getting their ducks in a row with Potter having had a rare luxury of the last three months to assess his squad in depth.
Now an agent source and a top club insider have told Hammers News big changes are coming.
Many of the players Potter is happy to ship out are obvious.
Loan players Evan Ferguson and Carlos Soler will not be retained.
Danny Ings, who ears a cool £125k per week, will be released.
Midfielder Guido Rodriguez will be sold for a minimal fee with several Spanish clubs interested.
Maxwel Cornet, enjoying a positive loan spell at Genoa, will be sold. West Ham hope to include him in a deal to sign the Italian side’s defender Koni de Winter.
Vladimir Coufal has voiced his displeasure at being denied a move to Fulham in January and a lack of game time under Potter.
All change at West Ham in big clearout
The Czech has even complained about where Potter has played him – at left-back and centre-back.
After five years with the club Coufal will be let go.
Stalwart goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who will turn 40 in the coming weeks, is also expected to leave after seven years with West Ham.
Mohammed Kudus is the man West Ham are banking on to raise the most money in sales. A task being made harder but his struggles this season.
Emerson Palmieri is another up for sale according to the sources. The left-back has lost his place to young Ollie Scarles of late.
The youngster has struggled in recent games showing that if West Ham do let Emerson go then a replacement will be needed. The Hammers have been linked with free agent Kyle Walker-Peters, who has been just as adept at left-back as he is at right-back.
Potter likes Konstantinos Mavropanos and thinks there is a quality defender in there.
But if the right offer arrives the Greek could be sold too.
West Ham are open to the right offer for Edson Alvarez, who was dropped for Wolves and hooked at half-time against Bournemouth. But he could be retained if one doesn’t arrive.
A decision will be made on Michail Antonio, although it is understood he could be handed a final one-year contract by West Ham.
Niclas Fullkrug has showed his importance since returning from injury.
But his age and injury issues will be taken into consideration if any reasonable offers arrive which enable Potter to go out and sign a younger forward who can lead the line for years to come.
A decision has to be made on veteran Aaron Cresswell too. But he may have done enough to earn a new one-year deal too.
Decisions to be made on several other Hammers
Lucas Paqueta could also be sold depending on the outcome of the trial against him – which Hammers News exclusively revealed first had been adjourned until June.
The reality of West Ham’s situation means the club are open to offers for most players except ‘not for sale’ Jarrod Bowen.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka would also be off limits unless a head-turning bid arrived.
Coming the other way, Potter and Macaulay are hoping to sign a new full-back who can play both sides, primarily to share the left-sided spot with Scarles and play back-up to Wan-Bissaka.
A new centre-back and goalkeeper are being targeted too.
An overhaul to West Ham’s biggest problem – the midfield – could see as many as three new signings arrive.
Up front West Ham want at least one new striker – but may sign two if Fullkrug leaves.
Ideally the club want a new starting striker with another versatile forward who can operate in both wide roles.
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