Forum | General Discussion

Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay have started movin' and somehow got Sully grooving, after the negative of negative updates, it seems to have now ramped up to a degree where we've officially had a bid accepted at last for El Hadji Malick Diouf and he's officially waved goodbye to Slavia Prauge and said hello to the Hammers.

Whilst the deal has yet to be announced officially, he has officially completed his medical and is expected to be announced either today or tomorrow.

Despite Diouf being an excellent player, many other positions are primary and many others need our focus than where our first signing plays. It now seems that Potter has finally got a player that he's been longing for all window, and now the deal is almost done, our attention switches back to the midfielder positions.

Midfield and Liverpool duo Harvey Elliot and Tyler Morton are the two latest midfielders thrown into the equation. It is thought that Potter would prefer Elliot out of the two, but Liverpool are asking for either £40,000,000 with a buy-back clause or a straight £50,000,000, which doesn't contain a buy-back. Definitely, the club cannot afford Harvey Elliot at the moment, and if we were able to, it would require using the majority of our budget, which wouldn't be money well spent.

Tyler Morton, a younger Liverpool talent, has also been put under high consideration, with a similar player profile to Potts but provides a more attacking aspect to the game. Liverpool have put a £12-15,000,000 asking price, which all in all is a much more affordable option than Harvey Elliot.

Alongside the Liverpool duo, Southampton youngster, Mateus Fernandes, is also 'admired' by Graham Potter & Macaulay, meaning we've got a few options to choose from when it comes to the middle of the park, which we've so desperately been needing.

In regards to Sales, the exits have been quiet since the departure of Mohammed Kudus, but it is confirmed that the club have accepted a few bids for Emerson, but he has rejected all of which we've accepted due to the countries not being suitable to him. Emerson has expressed his interest in leaving the club this summer, which was known a few months ago, so I'd suggest keeping a close eye on that front.

And not to worry, if you get bored with Sully's business tactics, there's always other Premier League news

Yesterday, the departure of Mohammed Kudus was officially completed to Spurs, and it’s fair to say that the media was having a field day with it all.

The confirmed transfer fee is £54,500,000 however the add ons are currently unknown, the deal will be paid across 3 years, however, it’s confirmed that £5,450,000 of that transfer fee will go to Ajax due to a 10% Sell on clause, but the remainder of the money all will go to Potter & Macaulay this window.

In addition to the Kudus sale, Guido Rodriguez seems to be the next nearest player to leave. The Argentine is set for a move to Mexico with two clubs having interest, those of which being Tigres & Club America and supposedly a €2,000,000 bid from Tigres has already been accepted. For sure, in this instance, it’s a clear and obvious decision that Potter has to make. Selling Guido not only gives us a small sum, but it’s someone off the wage bill who was earning far too much for what was being provided.

A replacement for Rodriguez isn’t too necessary with Freddie Potts returning, and Potter has confirmed his intention to utilise him for the upcoming season. Potts also has spoken out upon his return to West Ham, saying: “My return has come at a perfect time. It means a lot to be back here because I’m a massive fan and it’s always been my dream to play for West Ham.”

A young, hungry player who wants to fight for the badge… what else could we ask for! It’s exactly what the club is desperate to have.

It is also important to note that after seeing the outrage of officially confirming that Kudus had been sold, Sully decided to put fuel on the fire and make his comments public, saying “We know the fans are unhappy, but how many fans, if they ran West Ham and had £54.5m to spend, would spend it buying Mohammed Kudus? Hopefully, the money is used to improve the team. All money will be used to bring in new players.” \

He’s spoken his piece, Hammers fans will have to see if it lives to be true.

The latest West Ham saga seems to be coming to a close finally. It appears increasingly likely that Kudus will leave West Ham to join Spurs for the upcoming season, with a total transfer fee of £55,000,000, which is expected to be paid across three windows.

The entirety of the transfer fee is expected to go towards Potter & Macaulay in an attempt to build the squad for next season and get some players in to ensure that we can actually stay up.

Kudus’ exit and transfer request to Spurs is nothing short of disgraceful. Dithering Dave upstairs has checked the calendar and seen that we’ve got to pay Barclays the loan that we took out, so I’m sure that’s what’s encouraged the club to get the deal across the line. Hammers fans were understanding and knew that we needed money, but not to the level to accept a bid from Spurs, which we so claimed that we shall “never” do business with again… how’s that turned out, Sully?

Though it is important to note that this isn’t Kudus’ first rodeo when wanting to move clubs. Back in 2022 and 2023, he refused to turn up for Ajax’s training session in order to force a move out of the club. Whether Potter liked it or not, it was only a matter of time before things got ugly, and chaos in the dressing room is the last thing Potter and the club need at the current moment in time. This was a case of calm before the thunder, and in this instance, West Ham only got the calm aspect from the situation.

The only possible way that the Hammers fans will be okay with this move is if the money is well spent and is well reinvested into the squad; otherwise, it’s something that could come back to haunt us.

Mohammed Kudus’ abnormally strong interest in joining Spurs has earned him the nickname Mohammed ‘Judas’. Sounds like come September 13th, that’s going to be an interesting fixture for West Ham fans, second home game of the season too.

During his two-year spell, Kudus would score 19 goals and 13 assists in all competitions for the club, but no matter what he scored, achieved or provided for the Hammers, he’ll forever be remembered in the wrong light by fans for forcing a move to Tottenham.

West Ham central defender Nayef Aguerd was once seen as a brilliant signing for the club, a defender who could play with the ball at his feet, find the pass and was fast, a manager's dream in most cases. However, this case proved to be a 'nightmare' for West Ham, and a falling out with David Moyes and Julien Lopetegui seemed to indicate that the Moroccan international would never return to West Ham.

The 29-year-old was loaned out to Real Sociedad, and after a successful spell in Spain, he returned to West Ham officially only on 30th June.

Nayef hasn't been shy in showing that he's wanted to leave West Ham, which you could've probably figured out through his Instagram post when going out on loan, but even after a year away, the feeling is the same.

Graham Potter has reiterated that he would like to keep Aguerd and utilise him for next season, but Aguerd is still exploring options for a move elsewhere.

It's a tough situation to be in for the fans, the player himself and the manager. The manager likes the defender and would like to use him for the upcoming season, which would also mean that there'd be one less signing for us. Yet, the player we could only assume would be worried about the atmosphere if he returned, or perhaps he simply doesn't enjoy London and wants out.

It's said that IF we can get a reasonable offer for Aguerd, then we will consider accepting the offer due to the player wanting to leave, but the club & manager are more than happy to keep the central defender, if an acceptable offer isn't provided.

Nayef Aguerd's contract currently runs out in 2027.