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West Ham United are entering a transformative period under Graham Potter as they aim to reset and rebuild following a frustrating 14th-place finish last season. This summer isn’t about big headlines—but rather about meaningful change.
We spoke to James Jones of LondonWorld to understand the direction of proceedings at the London Stadium.

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00:00West Ham United are entering a transformative period under Graham Potter as they aim to reset
00:09and rebuild following a frustrating 14th place finish last season. This summer isn't about big
00:16headlines but rather about meaningful change. Potter's arrival signals a clear shift in
00:21philosophy. Instead of reactive spending or short-term fixes, the Hammers are embracing
00:27a more deliberate long-term strategy focused on identity, cohesion and internal growth.
00:33The biggest change isn't just who joins but how the club thinks. Recruitment is now centred on
00:39players who fit Potter's system and mentality, technically sound, tactically flexible and
00:45mentally aligned with the collective ethos. We spoke to James Jones of London World to understand
00:51the direction of proceedings at the London Stadium. Behind the scenes, West Ham are streamlining
00:57the squad, promoting youth and building a structure that supports sustained progress,
01:03not just a bounce back. Now the fans are just hoping it works on the pitch.
01:08So James, in terms of West Ham's summer window, obviously it's been fairly quiet so far in
01:16terms of incomes especially. Do you feel that it's going to eventually start to hot up and
01:21there's going to be new names throughout the door? What can West Ham expect and the fans expect for
01:26the remainder? Because obviously, we've mentioned before, this isn't Graham Potter's full squad. He wants
01:32to make sure he's got some names he can rely on for this season that, you know, because of the sort
01:38of issues that were there last season, it does come with a bit of pressure, this new campaign.
01:43It comes with a lot of pressure. I think this is one of the most important summers for a very long
01:50time where West Ham's concerned. They need to do a lot of work. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be
01:57fixed after what happened last season and obviously the last summer's transfer windows and that not
02:04really turning into anything other than a bit of a failure. And, you know, now we're, you know,
02:10it was only about a month ago, even before the transfer window opened, that the rumours were that
02:15the club had to sell before they could buy for, you know, PSR reasons and all the rest of it.
02:19So that's added a lot more worry from an expectation point of view, where the fans are concerned.
02:24The fans expect the squad to be stronger before a ball is kicked in the Premier League when we
02:33travel to Sunderland on the opening weekend. But realistically speaking, I think it's going
02:40to be unlikely that the squad is going to be ready for that first game. But once one or two players
02:46are sold, and I think that's what the club are waiting for, they're waiting for one or two big
02:50exits. So then in order for them to be able to then fund some deals, which, you know, we're now
02:56being led to believe, you know, deals are waiting to happen. It's just whether we can get some exits
03:01out the door to then fund these incomings. So there are one or two signings that we're led to
03:06believe are on the verge of happening, which will improve the squad. But there's so many,
03:12just one or two won't be enough. There's so much work to be done across all areas of the squad,
03:16really. So it's a little bit of a concerning time for West Ham and the supporters, I think.
03:22Well, there's pretty much everywhere in the squad needs strengthening. You know, we learned towards
03:29the back end of last season, towards the end that Graham Potter prefers a back five. So we need help,
03:36sort of a third, solid third centre-back. You know, Tadibo's joined permanently after his loan spell.
03:41He'll be one of, will be him, Kilman, and someone else. Zouma left on a three after his loan spell.
03:50Mavropanos can play there, but, you know, he's probably only good enough to really be a backup
03:55moving forward. So we definitely need another centre-back who is capable of playing in a back five
04:00or a back three, depending on the formation. Left-back is another one. Aaron Cresswell left at the end
04:06of his contract. That leaves us with only Emerson, who is rumoured to be, apparently has been told he
04:12can leave the club. And, you know, in an ideal world, we've got so many good players in the squad
04:18already. In an ideal world, we wouldn't, don't, shouldn't, we don't really want to sell anyone.
04:23We just want to add to the squad, add more quality to the squad. And the players that were already there
04:27are good enough to be backups, you know, on their day. But it doesn't look like we're going to,
04:33we're going to have that luxury. It's going to be a case of probably one in, one out and hopefully
04:37that at least improves the starting 11, at the very least, at least.

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