Hammers News

Graham Potter has finally shown some bravery as he turned the blame on West Ham’s owners following the Spurs shambles.

West Ham came crashing back down to earth with a 3-0 defeat to rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium.

In the opening 20 minutes, the Hammers looked good for a positive result to back up their win at Forest.

But Spurs grew into the game and Graham Potter’s team selection and tactics ended up costing West Ham dear yet again.

Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen looks like a disastrous signing and Potter’s obsession with James Ward-Prowse could ultimately cost him his job.

West Ham’s ridiculous zonal marking simply does not work – as evidenced by Tottenham’s opener where six Hammers players were stood marking nobody as Pape Matar Sarr walked around to the back post and headed home completely unchallenged.

Potter poor but he is a symptom not the cause of West Ham’s ills

It was the kind of goal the Hammers simply would never have conceded under David Moyes.

West Ham may have needed to move on from Moyes to a more modern manager, but Potter is not offering enough evidence he is that man.

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The Hammers boss went into the new season knowing the jury is very much out on him.

Losing to Tottenham will always put pressure on any West Ham manager.

And Potter’s future is massively in spotlight again after another meek surrender.

West Ham have now won just six of their 24 games under Potter since he replaced Julen Lopetegui in January.

Only two of those wins have come at the London Stadium.

His record is worse than the hapless Avram Grant, who took West Ham down.

So it is no wonder the London Stadium emptied as soon as the Hammers went 3-0 down to their fierce rivals.

If West Ham’s players are going to give up so easily then the fans have every right to as well.

A growing number of Hammers fans are calling for Potter to be sacked.

He undoubtedly should be doing better but West Ham’s relegation bed has been made by a terrible summer transfer window.

Many accused Potter and his players of cowardice against Tottenham.

That was best summed up by the fact Mohammed Kudus went completely unchecked when he decided to showboat on the touchline at 3-0 up.

Brave Potter turns blame on West Ham owners after Spurs loss

But it seems the mounting pressure is finally bringing out a bit of backbone in the manager.

Because brave Potter has turned the blame on West Ham’s owners after the Spurs shambles.

West Ham fans issued a vote of no confidence in the owners and board two weeks ago.

That prompted a Hammers fan meeting with Karren Brady ahead of the Tottenham game, where supporters’ grievances were aired in a frank and professional manner.

Since then it has been claimed the meeting and action from FAB is unlikely to result in Brady resigning or David Sullivan and Daniel Kretinsky selling up at West Ham.

Hammers fans are also planning a show of force when West Ham take on Crystal Palace back at their soulless athletics bowl next weekend.

A protest using Sullivan and Brady’s initials under the tagline ‘No more BS’ is planned and the Hammers United fan group behind it will be hoping the defeat to Spurs will encourage more fans to join.

While Potter clearly must shoulder a lot of the blame for what is unfolding on the pitch, he has suggested the owners have left his hands tied.

The Hammers boss says the team’s problems are a direct result of a lack of backing from above, piling fresh pressure on majority owner and de facto director of football David Sullivan, secretive billionaire Daniel Kretinsky and hugely unpopular vice-chair Karren Brady.

Potter knows full well about the growing discontent among fans and protests being planned against the owners.

So his choice of words when speaking about the Tottenham defeat are very interesting indeed.

And it is the first sign of the manager publicly speaking out about the lack of backing he received to rebuild the team how he wanted in the summer window.

Potter has effectively stated West Ham have not given him the resources to build a high level squad to compete in the Premier League with the likes of Spurs, who finished 17th last season – three places below the Hammers.

As a result Potter has argued it is therefore difficult for him to compete against those sides.

Hammers boss blames board for lack of quality

“We’ve played two home games against Chelsea and Tottenham,” Potter said after the game, as reported by The Evening Standard.

“Both have competed in the Champions League and they’ve got resources to build squads that are high level. We’ve had two uncomfortable games.

“We had a good game against Forest but I understand why there’s that feeling. We have to deal with it and we have to play well and win.”

Potter may have lacked bravery by starting with no striker against West Ham’s biggest rivals besides Millwall.

But he has finally shown some with these comments.

West Ham’s summer transfer business was completely underwhelming and the signings they did make arrived too late for the manager to get them together and gel in pre-season.

El Hadji Malick Diouf and Mateus Fernandes look like good additions and Soungoutou Magassa’s cameo was impressive.

But West Ham needed much more where that came from to have a squad capable of staying up let alone competing for a top half finish.

Especially given spending among their Premier League rivals reached a new record of over £2.5bn.

The Irons lack any iron.

They needed a new commanding first-choice centre-back to replace the cowardly rabble currently masquerading as Premier League defenders in their backline.

Another creative midfielder was needed too.

How West Ham feel they can continually get away with not investing in a powerful, pacy young forward is baffling and could end up costing them their place in the top flight.

The call on signing Hermansen looks a big mistake and West Ham are a Jarrod Bowen or Crysencio Summerville injury away from being relegation certainties.

Some would say turning the blame on the owners is brave, others may say it is stupid.

But if Potter is going down then it seems he is taking Sullivan, Kretinsky and Brady with him.

West Ham were comfortably beaten 3-0 by fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the first game of the post Daniel Levy era, piling pressure on David Sullivan and Karren Brady.

Next summer marks 10 years at the London Stadium for West Ham since the move from Upton Park.

The Hammers won a drawn-out “battle” with Tottenham Hotspur for the former Olympic Stadium.

How West Ham fans wish their club had rolled over and surrendered that particular battle as comfortably as they did their latest miserable game against Spurs in the soulless athletics bowl.

Hammers supporters are reminded every other week by away fans visiting the London Stadium: ‘you sold your soul for this s——-‘.

Spurs defeat piles pressure on West Ham owners

They’re right in one regard.

Except it wasn’t West Ham fans who sold their soul for the move, it was the club’s owners David Sullivan and the now passed David Gold who did the deed, with reviled vice-chair Karren Brady overseeing what she boldly stated was the ‘most successful football stadium migration ever’.

A large number of Tottenham fans have painted Daniel Levy as the worst possible person you could have heading up your football club down the years.

West Ham fans would point to the fact Levy wanted to bulldoze the London Stadium as proof he knew what he was doing.

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Levy went away and built Tottenham one of the finest football stadiums in the world.

Now he is gone, to much celebration from Spurs fans who claim he has always held them back.

West Ham fans planning to protest against Sullivan and the board hope their activism will ultimately see him and Brady follow Levy’s lead one way or another.

A protest is scheduled for next week’s home game against Crystal Palace.

Hammers fans are also rallying to boycott the Brentford game altogether.

The boycott started early, though, as the London Stadium emptied faster than a Usain Bolt race at this stadium when it was being used for the only purpose for which it is fit.

Graham Potter will deservedly take plenty of flak for West Ham’s defeat to Tottenham.

Journalist sends brutal Sullivan and Brady message to Spurs fans

Despite the clear failings elsewhere, Potter should and could be doing much better than six wins in 24 matches.

But supporters have long since made their minds up where the blame rests.

Now a top journalist has sent a brutal Sullivan and Brady message to Spurs fans after the West Ham rout.

Hammers fans were lured away from their beloved Boleyn Ground on the promise it would enable the club to compete with the elite in the transfer market.

The ultimate goal behind the move, West Ham’s board told supporters, was to push for Champions League football.

Well forget the Champions League, because West Ham United are looking increasingly likely to bring up a decade at their rented home by being in the Championship.

The Hammers have shipped eight goals in their first two home games of the new season, losing to Chelsea 5-1 and Spurs 3-0.

Those clubs are historically West Ham’s biggest rivals outside of Millwall.

You wouldn’t know it watching the performances.

The atmosphere in the London Stadium matched the apathetic nature of the performance on the pitch.

Sullivan and Brady shambles gives ungrateful Spurs perspective

You could hear a pin drop at times and it may prove to be the calm before the storm ahead of the Palace protest next weekend.

An impending sense of doom has descended on east London.

And the situation has been perfectly summed up by the Telegraph’s Matt Law.

In a scathing assessment of West Ham’s defeat to Tottenham, Law has hit the nail on the head in a message to Spurs fans.

His report titled: “West Ham fans are watching a poor team in a terrible stadium with a board they hate” is as true as it is depressing.

“If Tottenham Hotspur supporters thought they had it bad under former chairman Daniel Levy, then imagine how West Ham United fans must be feeling,” Law states.

“The post-Levy era started with a bang for Spurs, but it’s same old, same old for West Ham supporters who are stuck watching a poor team in a stadium they cannot stand with a chairman and vice-chair they want out.”

A man and two goals down during Saturday’s Premier League derby clash with Tottenham Hotspur, these were not the circumstances in which Soungoutou Magassa wanted to introduce himself to the West Ham United faithful.

But if there are any positives to come out of another heavy loss for Graham Potter’s men, then the £14 million signing from Monaco looks certain to be one of them.

On a night in which Mads Hermansen was exposed once again in the West Ham United goal, while a red card for Tomas Soucek gifted Tottenham a far easier win than Thomas Frank was expecting, there were at least a few green shoots.

Crysencio Summerville and El Hadji Malick Diouf showed glimpses of a genuinely excellent partnership down the left-hand side.

Mateus Fernandes wasn’t quite as impressive as against Nottingham Forest – Carlton Cole called the Portugal Under-21 ace ‘exceptional’ after that 3-0 win – but the ‘different dimension’ Potter talked about was clear to see once again.

And, making his Premier League debut off the bench with 61 minutes on the clock, Soungoutou Magassa’s arrival comes at the perfect time for a club who will be without Soucek for the next three matches.

West Ham United fans impressed by Soungoutou Magassa despite Tottenham Hotspur loss

In truth, the result was pretty much written in stone before Magassa stepped onto the London Stadium turf for the first time.

Former Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola was frustrated to see Lucas Bergvall drift in between Konstantinos Mavropanos and Kyle Walker-Peters, the Swede doubling Tottenham’s lead only seven minutes after Soucek’s removal.

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The silver lining, though, is that West Ham’s brightest performers were once again some of the newer faces in Potter’s roster. While James Ward-Prowse, Max Kilman and co continue to underwhelm, the additions of Fernandes, Diouf, Magassa and the return of Summerville at least gives a long-suffering fanbase something to hold onto.

“What I learned at the London Stadium today,” one fan wrote on X. “Magassa is awesome and should have started, Diouf is amazing, [but] our keeper is too short and he doesn’t make up it up with talent. As bad as the score is, we played well in the first-half. The sending off screwed us.

“Can I say, Magassa looked really tidy all things considered,” another says. “If we’re sticking with that front four, him and [Freddie] Potts as a two sounds nice and balanced

“Magassa looks good.”

“That first 30 mins was good. Everything after that was awful. Magassa looked alright when he came on.”

“He had to start Magassa over ‘JWP’ and [Callum] Wilson over Soucek with ‘Paq Man’ dropping deeper. Potter has lost us this game, not the red card!”

Hammers fans urge Graham Potter to start Magassa during Tomas Soucek absence

The stats from his time at Monaco suggest that Magassa has shades of Moises Caicedo from a defensive standpoint, while also possessing the ability to break lines with eye-catching forward passes.

Only Diouf completed more tackles than him despite the France Under-21 international playing the final half hour, while Magassa also produced a 91 per cent pass completion rate during his time on the pitch.

There was also one excellently-timed intervention to deny Mohammed Kudus a shot at goal. On another punishing evening, at least the returning Kudus didn’t add insult to injury.

Potter now has the ideal opportunity to get Magassa up to speed with English football with Soucek unavailable for the upcoming clashes with Crystal Palace, Everton and Arsenal.

“Drop Ward Prowse for Magassa, play an actual striker, and maybe we have a chance this season,” another fan writes. “Problems go much deeper than that but we’re not looking good either way. Fernandes, Bowen and Diouf our brightest sparks

“Magassa looked decent on the ball.”

“Magassa looks promising and we now have some pace in the squad. JWP as vanilla and ineffective as ever. Soucek’s horrible control and subsequent sending off could turn out to be a blessing.”

“Having Soucek and JWP in a midfield two doesn’t work. I love the bloke, been great for us over the years, but Soucek can’t keep up anymore. He’s 30 paired alongside another 30 year-old. It won’t work in the Prem. Teams are now much younger and much more athletic. Magassa needs to start.”

“On the plus side, Magassa looks an absolute beast.”

Graham Potter might not have enjoyed seeing West Ham United fall to pieces in yet another Premier League match, but a few standout individual displays at least provide some semblance of hope.

To think, before they suffered the quadruple whammy of Tomas Soucek’s red card and a trio of Spurs goals in the space of just 17 ruinous second-half minutes, there was a lot to be positive about at the London Stadium.

Lucas Paqueta had a glorious chance to give West Ham United the lead after some typically purposeful stuff from Mateus Fernandes.

El Hadji Malick Diouf whipped in one of his trademark crosses, while Kyle Walker-Peters justified his continued involvement over Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the other flank.

And though all that good work would be undone – Mads Hermansen conceded from another set-piece as Pape Sarr gave Spurs the lead moments after the interval and Tomas Soucek’s red card killed the match as a contest – Graham Potter feels that there were at least a few performances worth building upon.

Graham Potter praises five West Ham United players despite Tottenham Hotspur defeat

The front four of Paqueta, Fernandes, Jarrod Bowen and particularly Crysencio Summerville carried plenty of promise and a fair amount of threat, capably supported by West Ham’s two new full-backs.

Soungoutou Magassa’s eye-catching cameo also came at a pretty good time, given that Soucek will be unavailable for upcoming clashes with Crystal Palace, Everton and Arsenal.

“I thought [the forwards] were supported well with Kyle Walker-Peters on the right, and supported well with Malick Diouf on the left,” Potter tells the club’s official website.

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“Mateus was good, coming back from international duty was not easy for him. It was Cry’s first start and there’s positives there that Malik was really good, that Soungou did well in difficult circumstances when he came on.

“Kyle, I thought played well, so there were individuals that were there. But it’s difficult to say that because the scoreline is what it is and we’re all hurting from that.”

Potter feels West Ham can build on first-half display despite 3-0 loss

For Potter, the biggest frustration is that Tottenham barely created an opening of note before Sarr found himself with the freedom of East London at the back post.

And while he was still one of the better performers on the day, former Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola was less than impressed with Walker-Peters’ positioning as Lucas Bergvall deepened the gloom moments after Soucek’s red card.

“I don’t think Tottenham’s chances against us created too much at all,” Potter argues. They had pressure and set-pieces which is what we had to deal with and again I thought we dealt with them well until the start of the second-half when we made a mistake,”

“And that’s again the level, the detail, the margins and then we went 1-0 behind and quickly went down to ten men. The game changed at that point and then it’s an uncomfortable second half for us, there’s no doubt.

“We want to give our supporters more but, when the scoreline was what it was, it was a difficult evening for the boys.

“We’ve played two games at home against the World Club champions [Chelsea] and another team that’s also in the Champions League, so there’s quality against us. Nevertheless, we’re disappointed because we wanted to do better, we wanted to have more points.

“For the first half, I thought it was a decent performance. There were lots of positives in the first half and that’s the painful thing because the scoreline in the end is completely unpleasant for us.

“But at the same time there were glimpses of positivity, I thought, especially in the first half. Like I said, the second half, the game goes away from us so quickly and that’s the level and we have to learn from that. Like I said, the first half is what we have to focus on and remain positive.”

Unlike those heavy defeats against Sunderland and Chelsea, Mads Hermansen could not really be blamed directly for any of the three goals West Ham United conceded to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Hermansen marked his Hammers debut with a ‘big mistake’ on the opening weekend.

Despite pulling off one superb earlier stop which meant Hermansen earned a Save of the Month nomination, Sunderland’s stoppage time clincher came when Wilson Isidor’s speculative shot from distance skipped over his outstretched arm and into the back of the West Ham United net.

One week later, while Rob Green did his best to defend the £18 million summer signing from Leicester City, there was no place for Mads Hermansen to hide as he fumbled the ball at the feet of a grateful Moises Caicedo.

Now, on the face of it, there wasn’t much the Dane could do to prevent Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven scoring three unanswered goals in just 17 second half minutes at the London Stadium.

But former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson saw little in Saturday’s derby to suggest that Hermansen could be the solution to West Ham’s set-piece problems.

Paul Robinson shares Mads Hermansen fears as Tottenham cruise past West Ham United

Robinson watched Hermansen closely at Leicester when the Foxes were relegated last season. He has serious reservations about the 25-year-old’s ability to command his penalty area, with Sarr the latest to score from a cross into the Hammers box.

“Graham Potter has got problems,” Robinson, who earned 41 England caps between 2003 and 2007, tells BBC Sport. “I was surprised when they signed Mads Hermansen.

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“He was susceptible last season and, watching him today, he has not left his line once. You need help from the goalkeeper and that has not come from Hermansen.”

Remarkably, West Ham have now conceded six goals from corner kicks already this term. Hermansen has been beaten eleven times, meanwhile, in just four matches.

Hammers News can confirm that some at West Ham felt even before a ball was kicked against Tottenham that Lukasz Fabianski could be back in the starting XI sooner rather than later. Another helpless Hermansen performance will only add ammunition to the argument that the Hammers would be more secure with a returning 40-year-old between the sticks.

Former England keeper says Tomas Soucek red card was the turning point

On a day when Tottenham appeared to target Hermansen from set-piece situations, a red card for Tomas Soucek gave Spurs an advantage they would ram home in emphatic fashion.

“The immediate second goal after the sending off finished West Ham off,” Robinson adds. “They started well in the first 20 minutes, they pressed as a team. Their performance against Forest, not many people saw that coming.

“In the first 15 minutes you could see cohesion and understanding, but Tottenham grew into the game.

“We all love excuses. With 10 men, it is always difficult. The sending off was a pivotal part of the game. That is what finished the game off. Potter will look towards that, but it was the clearest of red cards.”

West Ham will now be without Soucek for the upcoming matches against Crystal Palace, Everton and Arsenal.

Who starts in goal for those fixtures, meanwhile, could make for very interesting viewing.

Graham Potter will once again come under renewed pressure at West Ham after a 3-0 defeat to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur and one of his big signings isn’t helping.

It was a tale of two halves of the first half for West Ham as Spurs came to the London Stadium.

The Hammers went into the international break on a high after a shock 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest.

Tottenham came to east London off the back of a home defeat to Bournemouth.

And it showed in the opening exchanges as West Ham started the brighter against Thomas Frank’s expensively assembled Tottenham.

But Spurs slowly got a foothold in the game and when Lucas Paqueta spurned a golden chance to put the Hammers in front, it was a bombardment.

West Ham somehow made it in at half-time 0-0 by surviving an aerial assault from Spurs at corners.

Potter signing could end up costing him the West Ham job

Frank’s side racked up corner after corner at the London Stadium.

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In fact they had so many that West Ham fans got bored of booing returning villain Mohammed Kudus as he came to take them.

Tottenham perhaps should have had a goal when Cuti Romero headed home from one, but VAR stuck with the referee’s on-field decision of a foul on Kyle Walker-Peters.

It was incredibly fortunate, even if Mateus Fernandes looked to have been hit in the mouth just beforehand.

It mattered little, though, because the set-piece pressure would eventually tell on meek West Ham.

And one Graham Potter signing could end up costing him his job.

As encouraging as the victory at Forest may have been, this was a reality check for the Hammers.

Blame for a dreadful start to the new season first and foremost must sit with the club’s owners.

On the evidence so far, Potter’s squad is nowhere near good enough to be competitive in the Premier League over the course of a 38-game season.

The failure to sign a young, powerful forward is downright negligence.

But West Ham’s biggest problem is at the back – and particularly Potter’s goalkeeper signing Mads Hermansen.

It says everything about Hermansen’s shortcomings – pun intended – that his fellow Dane Thomas Frank based Tottenham’s entire gameplan around specifically targeting the £15.5m signing from every set piece.

Tottenham were actually actively playing for corners at one stage to get another crack at Hermansen.

Another Hammers horror for targeted Hermansen

Potter has made Hermansen his number one but he is so vulnerable on crosses and corners it is frightening.

Spurs eventually got their goal – from a corner – and it owed as much to Hermansen’s lack of command for his box as it did horrendous West Ham marking.

The Hammers already have centre-backs who don’t want to and can’t head the ball in Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo.

The one who can, Konstantinos Mavropanos, is ridiculously error-prone. So Potter is stuck between a rock and a hard place over who to pick.

Mavropanos was up to his old tricks, being done by a long ball over the top from the first action after Tomas Soucek was sent off.

Lucas Bergvall had all the time in the world to loop a header over Hermansen, who got caught in no man’s land.

The goalkeeper’s lack of reach not helping the situation.

The third from Micky van den Ven was just a case of West Ham throwing in the towel. Unforgivable against rivals like Spurs.

Tottenham could have gone for the jugular but Frank elected to make sweeping changes.

It is now just six wins for Potter in 24 games as West Ham manager.

Only two of those have come at the London Stadium.

Owners to blame for West Ham squad shortcomings but Potter must change

The Hammers have conceded more goals than any other side in the top flight and Potter’s new goalkeeper has unfortunately been at fault for far too many of them.

There were some positives for West Ham in patches but the fact the London Stadium was almost completely empty bar the away end for the last 20 minutes speaks volumes.

Potter is not the root cause of West Ham’s problems but he has to prove he has some solutions soon.

If he wants to save himself then he may have to hold his hands up on Hermansen, who has looked a decent shot-stopper but sorely lacking in the stature needed.

West Ham look like they will concede from every corner and set-piece into their box.

They will be relegated if something is not done about it.

That may have to start with a change of goalkeeper.

West Ham player ratings:

Mads Hermansen, 4/10: Enough said above.

Kyle Walker-Peters, 4/10: Started well but faded and Aaron Wan-Bissaka was missed.

Konstantinos Mavropanos, 4/10: Looked good against Forest but made his obligatory error leading to a goal.

Max Kilman, 4/10: Not the kind of defender you want and need in a relegation battle.

El Hadji Malick Diouf, 7/10: Probably West Ham’s best player overall. Kept Kudus quiet for the most part and showed passion and endeavour.

Tomas Soucek, 3/10: Never lacking in effort but the game passed him by and he should have been subbed off long before his red card.

James Ward-Prowse, 4/10: Potter’s obsession with Ward-Prowse is another matter that could cost him his job. Offered little yet again.

Mateus Fernandes, 5/10: Started brightly but will be having PTSD after suffering relegation with Southampton. Will be the key if West Ham are to survive.

Lucas Paqueta, 4/10: Did little and spurned the best chance of the game when he should have laid it off to Crysencio Summerville.

Crysencio Summerville, 7/10: Excellent, West Ham’s joint best player along with Diouf. Keeping him fit will be key to any hopes of survival.

Jarrod Bowen, 6/10: Not the captain’s best day. Always gives his all of course and looked the most likely for West Ham but the team just did not get the ball to him enough.

Tomas Soucek’s red card may have come moments after Pape Sarr gave Tottenham Hotspur the lead away at West Ham United but, as Sky Sports commentator Alan Smith put it, his early exit gave Graham Potter ‘a mountain to climb’.

In the end, as the excellent Lucas Bergvall doubled Spurs’ advantage almost immediately and Micky van de Ven swept in a third, Potter barely got out of base camp, let alone ascending the cliff face with sights on the summit.

The West Ham United boss opted to keep the faith with the team which stunned Nottingham Forest before the international break.

Crysencio Summerville was the only alteration, replacing pre-match injury doubt Niclas Fullkrug and rewarded for his fabulous cameo at the City Ground.

But after frustrating Thomas Frank’s visitors in a tight first half – Max Kilman was confident West Ham could keep Mohammed Kudus quiet and they did, for the most part – three Tottenham goals and a Tomas Soucek red card in the space of just 17 minutes ended a previously competitive match as a contest.

Alan Smith defends Tomas Soucek after West Ham United red card in Tottenham Hotspur loss

There was clearly not even a hint of intent.

Soucek merely stretched desperately for a loose ball and was beaten to it by Joao Palhinha. And as soon as referee Jarred Gillett spotted Palhinha’s torn shin pad, there was only one direction West Ham’s Czech giant was heading.

Though Smith, in his usual co-commentary role for Sky Sports, could not help but feel a pang of sympathy for a footballer without a vicious bone in his body.

This was Soucek’s first red card in half a decade, after all, and only his second ever.

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“It’s just that competitive nature,” the former Arsenal striker explained.

“You want to get to the ball before your opponent and, when you don’t, when you catch your opponent, there is only one end to this.”

Just days after confirming that West Ham decided against accepting Everton’s offer during the final stretch of the summer window – The Toffees reportedly made a bid worth an initial £15 million for the David Moyes favourite – Graham Potter will have to do without Soucek for the next three matches.

Former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson says Soucek can have ‘no complaints’

With London derbies against Crystal Palace and Arsenal sandwiching a trip to the aforementioned Everton, life seems unlikely to get much easier for Potter.

“This is a horrible place to be as a team, 3-0 down and down to 10-men,” Paul Robinson, the one-time Tottenham goalkeeper, told BBC Sport. “You just want to get off the pitch. I have been in this position a number of times and it is very difficult.

“[Soucek can have] no complaints. Oh dear, it is a bad challenge. The ball has got away from Tomas Soucek, Joao Palhinha is quicker than Soucek.

“Soucek had no intent in the challenge, it was just frustration.”

For the second time in two home matches, Robinson saw the Hammers fans head for the exit in their droves long before the final whistle.

“You normally see people leave early to avoid the traffic, but it might be worth staying after the final whistle for five minutes as the traffic will have gone by the time we get out!” the former England international quips.

“Most people have gone – it is incredible!”

After Graham Potter talked up the impact of Crysencio Summerville, the winger will make their first West Ham United start of 2025/26 during the Premier League derby with Tottenham Hotspur.

As Mohammed Kudus returns to face a ‘hostile’ reception from the supporters who used to worship him, another winger is hoping to step permanently out of the Ghanaian’s shadow.

Now, Crysencio Summerville will get the chance to do just that as West Ham United welcome bitter rivals Spurs to the London Stadium.

Graham Potter is delighted to have Summerville back after his eight-month injury nightmare. The former Leeds talisman gives the Hammers a new ‘dimension’, he says. And the electrifying cameo Summerville produced off the bench at Nottingham Forest last time out certainly suggests that Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro – hardly the most reliable of defenders – may have his work cut out.

With Niclas Fullkrug only fit enough for the bench, meanwhile, Jarrod Bowen is expected to start up top with Callum Wilson also among the substitutes. Mateus Fernandes makes his first home start, as Kyle Walker-Peters and Konstantinos Mavropanos keep their places ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jean-Clair Todibo.

Potter was full of praise for Wilson too in his pre-match presser, following the striker’s goal off the bench at Forest.

“He’s been great, as we expected,” Potter said of Wilson. “A fantastic professional, a great person to have around the club and training ground.

“We are still building him up. He hasn’t had a pre-season but his impact against Forest was fantastic. We are delighted with Callum, where he is at but also where he’s been, and how we can carry on helping him to have his minutes, make his impact, and contribute to the team.

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“He has not been with us that long. It’s always in the back of your mind, we have to do the right thing for him and the team.

“But he’s the type of professional where, whether he starts or finishes [a game], he can have a great impact with us.”

“It’s great to have him. [Summerville] gives us another dimension,” Potter added when turning attention to his number seven. “It’s been a long road with setbacks, so credit to him. He’s shown that mental strength.

“Now, we just need to help him enjoy his football because, if we do that, he is a big help for us.”

Tottenham are without £60m striker Dominic Solanke, meanwhile.

Thomas Frank confirmed during his own press conference that the record signing had ‘fallen short’ in his attempts to return in time for the trip to East London. Richarlison will lead the line instead, then, the Brazilian looking to build on his impressive start to the new campaign.

Late-window additions Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani also make the trip. Xavi starts while Kolo Muani begins life on the bench.

While Declan Rice left West Ham United as an established, proven, elite-level performer, the same could not really be said about Mohammed Kudus when he completed his controversial switch to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Declan Rice captained the Hammers to Europa Conference League glory back in 2023. His first and so-far only trophy in the professional game.

And while those barnstorming displays on the Champions League stage have introduced his talents to a far wider audience, West Ham United supporters will tell you that the £105 million man had been performing at a world-class level long before he became Arsenal’s record signing.

Rice has been ‘one of the best in the world’ for quite a while now, to quote former Hammers youngster Luizao.

Mohammed Kudus, though, joined Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur having flattered to deceive more often than not in his second and final season at the London Stadium.

Now, it may be a stretch to suggest that Daniel Levy splashed out £54.5 million on nothing more than raw potential. Kudus had his fair share of standout moments in a claret and blue jersey, though they became increasingly few and far between as time went on.

And, speaking ahead of Spurs’ trip to West Ham on Saturday evening, Frank admits that Kudus needs to improve his end product if he is to justify that price-tag.

Thomas Frank on where Mohammed Kudus must improve after leaving West Ham United for Tottenham

Kudus scored only five goals in 35 matches during the 2024/25 campaign.

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The Ghana international is also yet to open his account in a Tottenham shirt, although he did provide two assists during the 3-0 victory over Burnley on the Premier League’s opening weekend.

And Frank knows that, if Spurs are to fight towards the top end of the division once again, he will need a lot more productivity from a frontline which once boasted Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane in their pomp.

“Of course, I followed him from a distance. [Kudus] impressed me the first season at West Ham and a little less last season,” the former Brentford boss admits.

“Looking from distance, they maybe didn’t have their best season for various reasons. I don’t want to go into detail, it’s very difficult to judge from the outside, [but] that maybe doesn’t help. From a player perspective, I can only really speak about the players I am coaching right now.

“I think he’s been quite consistent, so hopefully he can keep that going forward. That is definitely [our aim].

“Definitely, all the front three or four players need to provide goals and score goals. Wingers and strikers need to have quite a significant number of goals, or as many as possible. So of course that is a target for Mo as well.

“I know he’s very eager to get better numbers on the board.”

Max Kilman thinks West Ham can keep Kudus quiet on London Stadium return

While West Ham defender Max Kilman is backing Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters to keep Kudus and co quiet, Frank accepts that Kudus may face a ‘hostile’ reception after walking down a path that had been untouched since Scott Parker left Upton Park for White Hart Lane in 2011.

You know it’s been a while when both clubs have changed stadium since the last time a player swapped West Ham for Spurs.

“On his day, [Kudus] is a brilliant player,” Kilman tells the official West Ham website. “So we know it’s going to be a tough, tough challenge, but we have to be ready. He’s a rival now, and he’s an opponent, and we want to stop him.

“We’ve got some new full-backs as well who are obviously going to be up against him in Malick and Kyle, and we will make sure to tell them a few little tips about his strengths.

“We’ve had a few new boys come into a new league for the first time, and I think he and the others have adjusted pretty well.

“They deserve credit as well, because coming into a new league is not easy, but they’ve managed themselves really well, and they’re really helping us a lot.”

The importance of Mohammed Kudus’ return to the London Stadium wearing the white of Tottenham Hotspur is not lost on West Ham United centre-back Max Kilman.

Thomas Frank is expecting a ‘hostile’ reception for his £54.5 million summer signing; Kudus becoming the first player since Scott Parker in 2011 to leave West Ham United for their rivals to the north.

And though Graham Potter refused to be drawn on the Ghanaian’s return to his old stomping ground – the Hammers boss instead focusing on the present rather than harking back to past favourites – the prospect of Mohammed Kudus firing Spurs to victory at the London Stadium is something that would leave each and every home supporter with a nasty case of nausea.

Max Kilman, though, believes that West Ham have the defensive strength to keep Kudus on the periphery.

The former Wolves captain watched Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf brilliantly shut down Callum Hudson-Odoi and Dan Ndoye during the 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest before the international break.

And Kilman is confident that history can repeat itself when West Ham’s full-backs go up against another of the Premier League’s finest frontlines.

Max Kilman tips West Ham United duo Kyle Walker-Peters and Malick Diouf to outshine Mohammed Kudus

Tottenham’s new number 20 is expected to start on the right-hand side, though Frank could be heard instructing Kudus to ‘go create [and] do whatever you want’ on the training pitch this week.

The implication being that the two-time Eredivisie champion is likely to be given the freedom he needs to drift across the pitch, alternating with the likes of Richarlison and Brennan Johnson.

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Kilman, though, is confident in the defensive talents of left-back Diouf – who Kudus is expected to go head-to-head with – and Walker-Peters on the other flank.

Furthermore, his comments suggest that the summer signing from Southampton will start again on the right, ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

“On his day, [Kudus] is a brilliant player,” Kilman tells the official West Ham website. “So we know it’s going to be a tough, tough challenge, but we have to be ready. He’s a rival now, and he’s an opponent, and we want to stop him.

“We’ve got some new full-backs as well who are obviously going to be up against him in Malick and Kyle, and we will make sure to tell them a few little tips about his strengths.

“We’ve had a few new boys come into a new league for the first time, and I think he and the others have adjusted pretty well.

“They deserve credit as well, because coming into a new league is not easy, but they’ve managed themselves really well, and they’re really helping us a lot.”

Kilman acknowledges Tottenham’s improvement under Thomas Frank

After the West Ham supporters urged Potter to give Walker-Peters a run of games in place of the underperforming Wan-Bissaka, they got their wish. Should the England international start again tonight, this will be his third in succession.

And while skipper Jarrod Bowen raved about Malick Diouf’s crossing ability recently – the Senegalese sensation assisted Callum Wilson’s stoppage time header at the City Ground – he showed another side of his game with a solid defensive display up against the dangerous Ndoye.

Kilman, meanwhile, expects a difficult challenge against a Tottenham side far more controlled and far less chaotic than they were under Ange Postecoglou.

“I think they’re definitely a tougher side to break down,” the centre-back adds. “I think defensively they’ve really improved, and, of course, they have strengthened their squad as well from last season, so I think they’re going to be a top team.

“We have to back ourselves, and we’ve got a really good group as well, so I think it’s going to be a really good game, and hopefully we come out on top. I think now we’re in a really, really good place, and we just need to keep improving.”