Latest news with #DavidSullivan
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'I cannot see any logic' in Wilson talks
We asked you for your views on West Ham being in talks with striker Callum Wilson, who is a free agent after being released from Newcastle this are some of your comments:Lee: Will West Ham never learn? They have continually bought 'sicknote', older strikers who are past their best, on really high wages with no resale value. They inevitably fail and just sit on the bench draining the club's bank account. Another typical David Sullivan Absolutely not. He is too old and too injury prone. We're meant to be building for the future and reducing the average age of our starting XI. Two centre-forwards with a combined age of 65 makes no sense I think he'd be a great signing to have if we put him on a pay-as-you-play contract as he just can't keep fit to warrant £150K a week. Just look at Danny Ings, who we just got rid of because he couldn't keep This is a backwards step. We should be looking at young, hungry players, not an old crock looking for a final payday. He is always injured so I cannot see any logic if this signing goes This potential signing is so typical of the way West Ham operate. A cheap, ageing, injury-prone striker who is well past his best. Surely the club can find a more pacey, hungrier and younger player, who has a future and one we can develop. This is exactly the reason why we won't progress as a club while these owners are at the I know we have an Ings-shaped hole but that doesn't mean we have to fill it. The manager (and fans) want a young squad to nurture. We absolutely don't need a striker who has seen his best days on what would be big wages. Please let us learn from the disaster signing of Ings. Give us fresh, young, hungry Yet another over-the-hill, injury-prone striker to add to our list. At least he can keep Niclas Fullkrug company in the treatment room. When will we ever learn?
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Room to grow' but West Ham 'could have a gem'
We asked for your views on West Ham's latest signing El Hadji Malick Diouf, who has joined the club from Slavia coach Graham Potter believes the £19m Senegal defender, who can play at left-back or left wing-back, is a "really good fit" for the Hammers. Here are some of your comments:Bobby: Young, quick and gets forward. He had Bukayo Saka in his pocket in the recent friendly against England. A very good Very well thought of at Slavia Prague. He looked great against England. Potter has a decent record of improving young players so this seems a very sensible signing to me and, crucially, for sensible Looks like we could have a gem. He could be a much better player than Mohammed Kudus. He has more assists and an eye for goal, so add that to his determination and West Ham should be OK next At long last, we have brought someone in and he is around the right age. We now need to back this up with some more signings. Keep David Sullivan and Karren Brady away from the transfers and leave it to Potter, then perhaps we might be able to build a team that performs better than the past few About time we got someone. He is a solid player and we have had some great deals from the Czech league. This guy looks like he has everything to succeed at the highest level and he is young with plenty of room to So the rebuild finally begins at West Ham. Let's hope we sign another two or three before we kick the new season off. Potter needs a chance to prove himself with his and follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport
New York Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
West Ham fan survey results: 89% feel despondent for 2025-26 season
A new season is a time for optimism and excitement over potential new additions, but West Ham United supporters have been less inclined to indulge in those feelings given an uneasy summer. Mohammed Kudus could leave, with club-to-club talks with rivals Tottenham Hotspur continuing after West Ham rejected a £50million ($68m) bid. Uncertainty surrounds Lucas Paqueta's future as he awaits a verdict into the Football Association's investigation into his alleged betting breaches. And no new players have arrived at the London Stadium, with the club needing to sell before they can buy. Advertisement A squad overhaul is required following the departures of Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma and Danny Ings. Michail Antonio's contract expired on June 30, although his departure has not formally been announced. With 12 days to go until West Ham play their first pre-season friendly of the summer against Grasshopper Club Zurich, we asked our West Ham subscribers to rate their optimism for the 2025-26 season, their satisfaction with the ownership and head coach Graham Potter, and what positions they think need to be targeted in the transfer market. Here are the results. Discontent among West Ham fans over the club's owners' handling of issues is nothing new. In March 2020, hundreds of supporters walked from the Victoria Tavern pub, a three-minute walk from Plaistow station, to the London Stadium to protest against majority shareholder David Sullivan, vice-chairman Karren Brady and the late David Gold. The matchday experience at the London Stadium remains an issue, frustration lingers over the move from Upton Park in 2016, last summer saw an increase in ticket prices and withdrawal of concession season tickets in large sections of the ground, which led to West Ham and Liverpool fans uniting in solidarity. The majority of the supporters that answered our survey (59.5 per cent) are very dissatisfied with West Ham's owners, while 31 per cent are dissatisfied. Only 8.4 per cent answered that they were satisfied. It has been an unsettling 12 months after Julen Lopetegui departed as the shortest-lived managerial appointment in the club's 130-year history, sacked after just 22 games, and Tim Steidten's exit as technical director. It is no surprise fan frustration is bubbling over. Potter is not known for being an attack-minded manager, so it is not surprising that 55.9 per cent of the fans that answered are dissatisfied with the style of play. The club were porous before Potter's appointment in January, but as he reverted to a defensive formation West Ham's attacking impetus suffered. Potter intends to find the right balance next season, so it is noticeable 33.1 per cent are satisfied but 10 per cent of fans surveyed remain very dissatisfied. Potter oversaw 18 Premier League games, winning five, drawing five and losing eight. The nadir was Brighton & Hove Albion's inspired 3-2 comeback victory at the Amex Stadium in April, which culminated in Potter almost losing his cool. 'I'm not a robot; I'm a human being as well,' he said. 'I give everything to what I'm doing. Of course I'm going to be upset and frustrated. I have to come here and speak calmly to you guys (reporters in post-match press conferences) but that's not how I'm feeling inside. If you want me to swear, I can swear.' It is unclear yet if Potter will stick with a wing-back system or revert to a 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1 shape next season. Pre-season games against Grasshopper, Manchester United, Everton, Bournemouth and Lille will provide clues about how the head coach intends on playing. Given the make-up of West Ham's squad, 46.3 per cent of respondents believe signing a striker is of huge importance, while 45.3 per cent disagree and believe signing central midfielders is the highest priority. Niclas Fullkrug is the only recognised senior striker after the expiry of Antonio's contract. Advertisement Midfield was once a strong area of the squad, with Declan Rice the mainstay of the team, plus his solid partnership with Tomas Soucek, but since the former's £105m departure to Arsenal in July 2023, West Ham's engine room midfield is slow, struggles to dictate games and lacks a goalscoring presence, barring Soucek, who still polarises opinion. A number of additions are needed to improve squad depth across the board. West Ham need a goalkeeper to provide competition to Alphonse Areola and Wes Foderingham, a left-back, with Emerson Palmieri not favoured by Potter, a central midfielder, with Soucek, James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez Potter's recognised options. Andy Irving featured sporadically last season and is expected to leave, while it is yet to be determined if youngsters George Earthy and Freddie Potts will feature in the head coach's plans. West Ham have not finished 16th since the 2019-20 season under David Moyes. The last time they finished lower (20th) was in 2010-11, when they were relegated to the Championship. Of the fans surveyed, 46 per cent believe the club will finish 15th to 17th, while 34.4 per cent predict a final league position between ninth to 14th. On top of that, 18.1 per cent believe West Ham will suffer relegation. This all serves to highlight that many have little confidence in the squad. Potter faces a battle to restore optimism among the fanbase. Before the 1-1 home draw with Southampton in April, the head coach tried to offer encouragement and he discussed his long-term plans. 'Every squad and every Premier League team is the same: they have to adjust their team and adjust the squad for different reasons,' said Potter. 'But clearly, where we are now, we don't want to be. 'We need to improve. It's a simple thing. But at the same time, we have to make the right decisions around aligning all the resources that we have and then work together to produce a team that people can recognise and are proud of.' The club have secured a top-10 finish in three of the last five campaigns. Last season's 14th-placed finish under Potter equalled their lowest finish in that spell (they also finished 14th in 2022-23). An overwhelming 70.4 per cent of the fans surveyed would consider ninth to 14th to be an acceptable minimum finish in 2025-26. Only 23.1 per cent disagreed and favoured a fifth-to-eighth-placed finish, while 6.1 per cent voted for 15th to 17th. Just 0.3 per cent or respondents were more audacious in deeming a top four finish as an acceptable minimum. Optimism is clearly at a low ebb ahead of the new campaign and a sizeable 50 per cent of respondents are not hopeful at all ahead of the new season, while 38.9 per cent are not very hopeful. Barring potential additions, the club will hope to avoid a repeat of their slow start in 2024-25. West Ham won only five points from a possible 18 in their first six Premier League fixtures. This season, their opening six league games are against Sunderland, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and Everton. Given the nature of their underwhelming displays towards the latter stages of the season, more laborious performances will only add to the dejection.
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Would Calvert-Lewin succeed at West Ham?
We asked for your views on West Ham potentially being one of the clubs interested in acquiring the services of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Here are some of your comments:Hugh: Calvert-Lewin is injury-prone and inconsistent at best. Could be another one for the West Ham rehab squad. Shane: Seriously, 10 goals in 58 games. No ambition yet again if we sign him, surely there must be better options if the club wants anything out of the upcoming season. Ollie: As a West Ham fan, this screams of us. Free, injury prone, very average, and plays best as a lone striker, which we know won't suit Potter from the Evan Ferguson experiment. David Sullivan is at it comments did come in suggesting that Calvert-Lewin would be a shrewd signing with a point to prove. Mark: Calvert-Lewin would be a good choice. He is a good header of the ball and can shoot with either foot, and at 28, has a few years left in him. Dave: Calvert-Lewin by lunchtime 1 July, please. He is jaded at Everton, a new club, a new challenge, and he will be keen to impress. Anon: As the answer to our prayers, no. As the answer to having an EPL-experienced striker to come on from the bench, and provided that it is an appropriate salary weighted heavily toward performance bonuses, yes.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'I worry at the moment' - fans on Hammers' fixtures
Following the release of the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures, we asked for your thoughts on the schedule and where West Ham might be after 10 are some of your comments:Colin: Sixteenth. Very concerned that David Sullivan and Karen Brady need to spend in the window, and they don't seem to be doing I suspect that unless this useless board invests well in new players we will be sitting in the bottom three. We need a new good spine to the team starting with a new keeper (either Burnley's, Southampton's, or both), centre-back, central midfielder and a centre-forward. We won't ever win the league title so we need to stop putting out under-strength teams in cup games and try to win some trophies. For us to move forward, there needs to be major changes within the Looking at them, 12-15 points Hopefully in the top 10. Graham Potter can do this by buying players who can bang in the goals and a goalkeeper who can keep them out. Must improve after finishing 14th last After 10 games, I believe we will have a total of 10 points because as of yet haven't seen an improvement within the We have a really decent mix of games to start the season off with. With the right signings we could be seventh to 10th by I worry at the moment. No transfer activity of note and the current squad looks weak. Still hoping for a mid-table finish and a good cup About fifth - if we are lucky.
