Tony Cottee certainly liked what he saw from both Niclas Fullkrug and El Hadji Malick Diouf during West Ham United’s Premier League Summer Series campaign over in the USA.
Just three days after Fullkrug saw off Everton with a ‘ridiculous’ finish in Chicago, a £27 million centre-forward with a point to prove made it two-in-two with a tap-in against Bournemouth at the Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The man who created both of West Ham United’s goals during that 2-0 triumph over Andoni Iraola’s side, meanwhile, has wasted no time showing his new club what he’s all about.
El Hadji Malick Diouf brings a ‘really good’ delivery to Graham Potter’s ranks from the left-hand flank. Arguably no player in a West Ham shirt has possessed a more devastating cross since Aaron Cresswell at the peak of his powers.
But for all the positives – youngsters Freddie Potts and Callum Marshall impressed too, while Luis Guilherme, Preston Fearon and Lewis Orford have done their chances of first-team involvement no harm – Tony Cottee is left with a few nagging doubts.
Tony Cottee concerned with Alphonse Areola and West Ham United’s midfield options
With only a month left in the window, there is still plenty of business to be done.
Tony Cottee will presumably be happy to learn that West Ham have agreed terms with Mads Hermansen of Leicester City. Serious progress has been made with the King Power shot-stopper over the course of the last week, as Leicester reduce Hermansen’s asking price considerably.
West Ham are discussing ‘final’ details with John Victor, too. An £8.5 million deal has been struck with Brazilian outfit Botafogo for a man who could compete with Hermansen for the number one jersey, while maybe bringing an end to Alphonse Areola’s time in the capital.
In addition to a goalkeeper or two, Cottee also wants a more mobile, physically-imposing central midfielder. And, if there is money left in the bank, maybe a new defender as well.
“There are some real positives for West Ham but some concerns for me as well,” Cottee begins, speaking to talkSPORT. “They need a bit of athleticism in midfield.
“I think they’ve got some good footballers. West Ham always have good footballers, but they need players who can get around a little bit. I think, in modern football, you need that athleticism.
Cottee has reservations about the ability of James Ward-Prowse, Guido Rodriguez and Tomas Soucek to dominate games against more dynamic opposition.
“Ward-Prowse, a technically top footballer. Rodriguez, Soucek… There’s just not that dynamic midfield player and I think that’s their big problem,” Cottee adds.
“The goalkeeper as well, I think they’ve got to solve the goalkeeper problem. I’m not sure about Areola, you know, I haven’t been for a few years. So they need to solve that problem.
“And if you get the midfield player in there, I don’t think West Ham are too far away.”
Cottee gives verdict on Kyle Walker-Peters and makes Jean-Clair Todibo demand
Cottee, who scored just shy of 150 goals in two spells at Upton Park, loves the addition of Diouf. He feels that Kyle Walker-Peters could be a solid addition too, albeit Potter requires a handful of players capable of strolling straight into the starting XI.
Potter’s three-at-the-back system should help Jean-Clair Todibo silence his doubters, meanwhile. Nayef Aguerd could also thrive on the left of a defensive triumvirate, back at the London Stadium after Real Sociedad decided against signing the Moroccan on a permanent basis.
“You know, in terms of Graham Potter, I think the fans will be patient, but they’ve got a tough start. They’ve got three London derbies [Tottenham, Chelsea and Crystal Palace] in their home matches,” Cottee says ahead of the Premier League opener against Sunderland on August 16th.
“If they get some good results and give some of the youngsters, some of the academy boys a chance, I think the fans will be fine. But if they have a bad start, you know what it can be like over there. There will be a few moans and groans and the lads will be under big pressure.
“I think [Walker-Peters] is a good player. They have what you would call some really good squad players. I think they probably need to get two or three who can go into the team; A goalkeeper, a centre midfielder, maybe another player [like] a centre-half.
“Aguerd is coming back. He is a good player if you can get him mentally right. Todibo needs to improve. He was poor last season.”
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