The response to West Ham United’s four summer signings – Mads Hermansen, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson – has been fairly mixed.
Even Roy Keane feels Hermansen is a fine addition at £18 million.
El Hadji Malick Diouf brings ‘unbelievable’ quality with those delightful left-footed crosses. The versatile, two-footed Kyle Walker-Peters feels like a solid, if somewhat underwhelming, squad player brought in on a free transfer after suffering relegation with Southampton.
When it comes to Callum Wilson, though, praise has been much harder to find.
West Ham United snapped up the 33-year-old after the expiry of his Newcastle contract at the beginning of August. The fact that ex-England international Wilson missed 114 Newcastle games during five years in the North East – an average of 22 per season – is obviously a major cause for concern.
But a concern Graham Potter feels his new number nine can overcome.
Speaking in his pre-Sunderland press conference on Thursday lunchtime, Potter did touch on those well-documented fitness issues.
One of his many predecessors summed it up pretty neatly. Callum Wilson can be an ‘outstanding’ West Ham signing, Harry Redknapp said, but only if he can stay fit.
An ‘if’ larger than the River Thames.
Yet, regardless of how many games he plays – Hammers News can confirm that Wilson signed a heavily incentivised contract based around appearance and goal bonuses – Potter is confident his vast Premier League experience could still prove ‘invaluable’ behind the scenes.
“We’ve got some really good attacking options now,” Potter smiles.
“We are excited with the mix. Malick and Mads are young players that have got a lot of years ahead of them. Kyle comes in the middle with a bit of experience and quality. And Callum brings know-how and an experience that is invaluable.
“As a four, they have been really integrated into the group. The personalities have been fantastic, so really excited to work with them.
“[Wilson] brings an experience, a know-how, and a quality that is not easy to find. A proven Premier League striker with a fantastic mentality and character,” Potter adds of a man who scored 12 of his 88 top-flight goals against his new employers.
“He’s come from a good environment, and can help our young players and the competition in the group.
“We have to help him to enjoy his football, to be available on the pitch and fighting for his position, which we are confident about. Then, we have a top player. We feel he has the attributes to help the team in terms of scoring goals but also helping the team function in a good way.”
Potter shares transfer plan as Southampton reject Mateus Fernandes bid
When pressed on the prospect of further signings, meanwhile, Potter admitted that West Ham must ‘balance’ those Profit and Sustainability regulations against the needs of the team.
There is clearly still money to spend – West Ham bid £30 million for Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes this week – but funds remain restricted by a lack of movement in the sales department.
Hammers News can confirm that West Ham are willing to sell Tomas Soucek, Nayef Aguerd, Guido Rodriguez, Emerson Palmieri and Edson Alvarez. Genuine interest has been few and far between of late, however.
Whether that changes over the next fortnight may dictate the possibility of the £50 million-rated Fernandes arriving at the London Stadium before the deadline.
“It’s not a case of just signing anybody. We need to make sure we sign the right people, the right players, to help the team improve,” Potter says. “In the meantime, my job is to focus on the ones we have.
“I have been delighted with how they have approached pre-season, how they are working together, how connected they are.
“We are the same as all the Premier League teams. We have to balance the PSR with the team. The team has got a lot of players that are good, that we are really excited about, so it isn’t straightforward to find players to improve us.
“But that is what we are trying to do, and we will do that until the end of the window.”
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