Tony Cottee: Potter's Appointment Marks a New Era for the Hammers
LOPETEGUI HAS BEEN A COSTLY MISTAKE FOR WEST HAM
I was never convinced that Julen Lopetegui was a good fit for West Ham when he was appointed.
There were probably three or four other managers better equipped for the job and I had Graham Potter down as one of them.
I hate to say ‘I told you so’ but it was difficult to see what Lopetegui brought to the table. The whole episode has cost the club a lot of money that could have been better spent if they’d appointed Potter in the first place.
Potter’s been out of the game for nearly a couple of years but that doesn’t worry me. His track record at Swansea and Brighton speak for themselves and, when you’ve got talent, you don’t lose it. West Ham is a great opportunity for him to prove his worth.
Potter is a great communicator and a great coach. Being able to get your ideas across is essential in the modern game so players understand what’s required of them.
The team he's brought into the club with him will help instil his message but players will need some time to adapt to his coaching style.
I don’t expect any dramatic changes to their performances in the short term but they should be able to pick up enough results to remain in the Premier League. That has to be the primary focus for the rest of the season.
POTTER’S WEST HAM ALREADY LOOK LIKE A TEAM
I was at the recent game against Villa and you could already see the impact that Potter was starting to have.
They played like a team rather than a group of individuals, which was impressive to see so quickly after Potter’s appointment.
His next step should be getting more out of West Ham’s flair players like Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus. They can turn a game – but both have been inconsistent this season.
WEAKNESS AT THE BACK IS COSTING WEST HAM DEARLY
West Ham have conceded far too many goals this season, which needs to change quickly.
Watching young Ollie Scarles at the Villa game was a highlight for me. He's an emerging talent who won the FA Youth Cup with our youth team.
As a West Ham fan, it's heartening to see academy players being given a chance to shine. He played exceptionally well for 70 minutes despite being substituted, so I was pleased for the young lad.
I think there's a lot more to come where he's concerned.
POTTER WILL NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE CURRENT SQUAD
Over the last 10 years, every West Ham manager has missed the opportunity to sign a strong number nine.
The owners have bought 50 forward players in the previous 15 years but, unfortunately, you can count how many have been successful on one hand. If you could wave a magic wand and find a player who scores 25 goals a season, every club would do it.
They should be looking for a well-rounded striker who can lead the line, hold the ball and then bring other players into play. That’s a lot to ask for and finding one in the January window when you’re on a budget isn’t easy.
We currently have four centre forwards at the club and three of them are injured. The fourth is Danny Ings and he’s struggling with the number of games during a busy schedule.
The most promising report is Jhon Duran, who’d be the perfect solution for West Ham. He’s the one the fans want. Give him the right opportunity and he will score goals.
Other rumoured strikers such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Evan Ferguson and Taiwo Awoniyi have all had injury problems and are out of favour with their clubs. You always run the risk of bringing in players with fitness or injury problems during the window, so you have to be careful.
In an ideal world, a loan until the end of the season would tick all the boxes. Marcus Rashford is linked, which could be a great move for West Ham, but he’s got to be motivated. If we end up with a player who has been distracted and not performing for Manchester United, he won’t bring anything to the club.
Despite Monaco's interest, attempting to hang on to Edson Alvarez should be a priority. The board has rejected a number of offers so far but they have a record of poor decisions, so it’s hard to be confident.