When West Ham United moved to the London Stadium in 2016, former co-chairman David Gold claimed his Hammers would play in the Champions League “in the next few years to come”. Almost ten years later, the London club is sinking into a serious crisis and is already at risk of relegation at the end of the season. Under Graham Potter, the team won only one match in five days and decided to fire the English manager to place Nuno Espírito Santo, the fourth coach in 16 months, on the bench.
But that hasn't helped matters for the Portuguese, who has failed to win any of his four Premier League games so far and appeared disillusioned in front of the press after Leeds' seventh defeat of the season. “I have been worried since I arrived. We are all worried, but we are committed and we are meeting the challenge that lies ahead of us – it is a big challenge, a very big challenge.”he who recognizes that his team “is very far from having an identity”. An observation that supporters have already made for quite some time.
West Ham fans at war with management
Indeed, more than 20,000 supporters boycotted the pitiful defeat against Brentford, continuing their protests against the club's management. They are planning a demonstration during the next home match against Newcastle to demand the resignation of co-owner David Sullivan and vice-president Karren Brady due to a sports project deemed catastrophic. “We can say it. Unless there is a radical change, West Ham will go down. They have an unbalanced, aging workforce, without leadership or combativeness”wrote the Daily Mail.
After losing Nayef Aguerd, Kurt Zouma, Emerson, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus, the squad was not renewed and the transfer window was not up to par. Kyle Walker-Peters and Sougountou Magassa are unsatisfactory, as are 33-year-old striker Callum Wilson and Declan Rice who has still not been replaced. Recruits El Hadji Diouf, Mateus Fernandes and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen were recruited by Graham Potter, who was sacked only a month later.
Recruitment clearly not up to standard
Result: West Ham is the worst defense in the Premier League, with already 20 goals conceded for only 7 scored, including 12 goals conceded at home in their first 4 matches, a first since the 1960s. However, everything is not to be thrown away, but Lucas Paqueta, who already seems to be starting, can contribute alongside Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville or the very good El Hadji Diouf. But for that, the Hammers must find a new scorer quickly and work defensively.
“We started very badly again, very badly. Our way of defending was poor. We improved in the second half, but it wasn't enough. (We have) concerns about so many things, our approach, individual duels, defensive tasks, our confidence. So many things, so many things”did not reassure the Hammers manager. But before regaining sporting continuity, West Ham will have to find its supporters, who saw their favorite club go from European title to relegation in just three years…
