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(Credit: Imago)
Jack Heath
Wed 20 August 2025 16:35, UK
West Ham have been instructed not to come back again in their pursuit of Andrey Santos as Graham Potter scrambles to bolster his squad.
After a full summer to get the squad the way Potter would like it, Hammers fan may have headed into the new season with hope and optimism after a dreadful 2024-25 campaign.
Well, it appears all that expectation has been flushed down the drain after newly-promoted Sunderland demolished West Ham 3-0.
Former Hammers scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Potter is under “serious pressure” at West Ham, with the English manager failing to take the club in the right direction.
Hoping to bring in some more players to give the east London side a chance of faring better than last year, it appears the Irons may fall short on target Santos.
It was not the best start to the season for the former Brighton boss (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)
According to a report by The Guardian (20 August), the Irons had made an “approach” for Brazilian Santos that got rejected with the Blues advising the Hammers “not to try” for the midfielder again.
This news comes amid speculation over Edson Alvarez’s future with the Mexican linked to move to join Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce as Potter desperately looks to find two more additions to the middle of the park.
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If the former Ajax anchor is to leave, the east London club are expected to push on with other targets to fill their wavering midfield.
To that end bids have gone in at Southampton for Matheus Fernandes, and Barcelona for Marc Casado.
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Football Insider verdict
Given how below-par the Irons’ window has been with very few incomings since the sale of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham, there is every chance Potter’s poor management mixed with awful recruitment could drag the club into a relegation battle.
I’ve said for a long time that the Englishman is a highly overrated coach who over-performed with a Brighton side that looked so good due to the talented personnel and grounded nature of the club.
His tactics are archaic and lethargic, which saw, for example, Sunderland absolutely blow West Ham away on the counter-attack.
Graham Potter clubs managedWin %Ostersunds FK48%Swansea City41%Brighton32%Chelsea39%West Ham25%(Source: Fotmob)
When he was at the Blues, Potter was exposed for how inadequate he is as a top-level manager with an inability to control the dressing rooms during a period of immense transition.
Look at how Enzo Maresca has left his mark at Stamford Bridge and you can see the disparity in the management styles.
If the ex-Seagulls boss is not careful, the Irons could be about to dip down into the Championship for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
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