Graham Potter wants to strengthen West Ham United’s midfield this summer — defeat to Newcastle on Monday night gave him plenty of reasons to make it a priority.
The midfield trio of Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse were ineffective in the 1-0 loss. Soucek squandered a great chance in the opening minute and Alvarez was substituted after the hour mark following a frustrating night. He occasionally found himself in good attacking areas, but it highlighted his offensive limitations as he struggled to carve out opportunities for captain Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
Ward-Prowse has slotted in well since returning from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest. Potter values the ex-Southampton captain but seldom did he use his passing ability to good effect against Newcastle. Potter brought on Carlos Soler, who is on a season-long loan from Paris-Saint Germain. But his performances are akin to a rosebud that has never properly flowered.
It is why West Ham have no intention of converting his loan into a permanent deal this summer. After all, the midfielder has a paltry return of one goal and one assist in 23 league appearances.
Newcastle’s midfield three, however, comprised the indefatigable Joelinton, the combative Sandro Tonali and match winner Bruno Guimaraes. They were equipped at unlocking an extra gear in Newcastle’s attack, often spearheaded by Guimaraes — while West Ham would be remiss at not identifying a midfielder who could produce an authoritative performance like Tonali.
Their list of summer targets includes Lille midfielder Angel Gomes. The 24-year-old left Manchester United in August 2020 to join the French club. Gomes’ contract is set to expire at the end of the season and he is keen for a return to the Premier League. The midfielder made his England debut in September against the Republic of Ireland and has earned four caps so far.
Gomes plays as a deep-lying playmaker role for Lille. He has registered two goals and one assist across 20 appearances this season. In 2023-24, the midfielder showcased his offensive efficiency having amassed two goals and 10 assists across 45 appearances. In an interview with The Athletic in 2023, he outlined how he can play in various midfield positions. But during a recent interview with L’Équipe, he explained why he enjoys providing for his team-mates.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like to score goals,” he said. “It’s a great feeling, but I prefer an assist because behind an assist there is a lot of thinking. It is very precise. Sometimes it seems simple but when you’re on the pitch you understand the difficulty in finding the right angle, the right timing. I like this kind of work, the calculation behind it. That’s the story of my game.”
The only highlight from the match was the return of Michail Antonio. He received a warm reception from the London Stadium faithful three months after his car crash. But while fans applauded a club legend, their mood slowly shifted to frustration due to the ponderous display. Potter named an unchanged XI for the third consecutive game but there was no telepathic understanding in the centre of the field.
The return of Michail Antonio was one of the few positives from Monday night’s game (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
West Ham’s current midfield options are Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Soler, Andy Irving, Lucas Paqueta, Lewis Orford and Guido Rodriguez. Irving was not in the matchday squad against Newcastle, Paqueta returned to the bench having missed victories over Arsenal and Leicester City with an ankle injury, Orford, who made his first team debut against Crystal Palace in January, has mainly featured for the under-21s, while Rodriguez has been an unused substitute in six of the nine games under Potter.
Aside from identifying Gomes as a potential No 6, Potter needs a midfielder capable of scoring five or more goals a season. Soucek has achieved this in four of his last seasons at West Ham. Paqueta scored five goals in his debut season in 2022-23, eight the following campaign and five this term. Ward-Prowse is also capable of achieving this, although he has not scored a direct free-kick for more than two years now.
(Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Previously, West Ham had goalscoring midfielders like Kevin Nolan, the Northampton Town manager, Mark Noble, the club legend and sporting director, and, to a lesser degree, Declan Rice. Nolan brimmed with confidence at driving forward, Noble’s composure on penalties was key and Rice showed signs of developing into a box-to-box midfielder.
Wins over Arsenal and Leicester City masked the need for midfield reinforcements. A summer rebuild is required, even after an expenditure of over £120million last year.
“I apologise if things aren’t happening quicker than we want them to be, but I think when you see the players give everything, that (commitment) is there,” Potter told West Ham’s website after the game. “James Ward-Prowse I thought was fantastic, covering such an amount of ground, you know Tomas and Edson are working hard and Ollie Scarles was (out) on his feet at the end there.
“Players are giving everything so I think that’s a real strong start point, a strong foundation. We have to have that and then obviously we always want to look to improve. Today’s a bit of a sore one because we wanted to get something from the game but that’s life sometimes.”
(Header photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
