Graham Potter fires his first warning to David Sullivan over West Ham transfers ahead of biggest summer..
Graham Potter has issued his first clear warning to majority owner David Sullivan over West Ham’s summer transfer plans.
With the biggest summer in recent memory approaching, under pressure Hammers boss Graham Potter is making it known what he expects — and just as importantly what won’t be tolerated.
West Ham are standing at a major fork in the road over the club’s future.
The promotion of Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland means the Premier League will be the most fiercely competitive it has been for years next term.
There have been few worse teams than the Hammers over the last 18 months, never mind this season.
West Ham stand at fork in road over future
West Ham have won just 14 of their last 56 Premier League matches in that time.
Failure to substantially improve on that could result in relegation next season.
The worry for the club’s fans is that Potter has showed no signs he is capable of turning West Ham around.
West Ham chief David Sullivan originally planned to appoint Potter on a six-month deal, which would then be reviewed with a view to extending or terminating.
Potter’s record suggests termination would have been more likely had he penned the six-month contract rather than the two-and-a-half-year deal eventually offered as a result of interest from Everton.
The big thing in the manager’s favour is grace.
The 50-year-old has been afforded that by fans and the owners until he has his own players and team in place.
Potter fires his first warning to Sullivan over West Ham transfers
Key to everything will be the summer transfer window, which opens next weekend.
Potter has appointed his talent spotting guru Kyle Macaulay as head of recruitment while Sullivan has reprised his role as de facto director of football.
With Tim Steidten gone, Sullivan will take ultimate charge of transfer dealings. And that is a major worry for many supporters too.
Now Potter has fired his first warning to Sullivan over West Ham transfers ahead of the biggest summer yet.
West Ham spent £155m last summer but have gone backwards.
Potter will have nothing like that figure in trying to fix the Hammers squad.
Photo by James Chance/Getty Images
Photo by James Chance/Getty Images
The board have let it be known they are at their limit in terms of PSR.
Although West Ham do plan to raise around £100m in sales to boost Potter’s kitty.
Sullivan has a chequered history when heading up West Ham transfers.
The billionaire has been accused of taking an incoherent scattergun approach to the market and being too heavily influenced by one or two agents.
West Ham fans also feel there is a lack of thought and planning behind recruitment.
That, Potter says, has to change – in what is a first shot across the bows to the majority owner about how he wants to operate this summer.
The Hammers boss says he will be having a major say on transfers, wants to trim the squad and make sure ‘aligned’ decisions are made on signings.
‘I will be really involved in big summer’ Potter says
“I will be really involved (with transfers),” Potter told Mail reporter James Sharpe.
“It’s a big summer.
“We have too many players, especially if they’re all senior players.
“There’s too much money not on the pitch. We have to be smart.
“We have to make the right decisions and be aligned.”
Graham Potter says he’ll be “really involved” with West Ham transfers.
“It’s a big summer. We have too many players, especially if they’re all senior players. There’s too much money not on the pitch. We have to be smart. We have to make right decisions and be aligned.” #WHUFC
— James Sharpe (@TheSharpeEnd) May 24, 2025
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Sullivan can consider himself warned.
The squad trimming has already started in earnest with Potter taking the risk of letting tonnes of experience walk out of the London Stadium exit in the shape of Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal and Lukasz Fabianski.
Danny Ings and loan duo Evan Ferguson and Carlos Soler are also leaving.
A raft of sales – including the likes of Mohammed Kudus – will then be needed to bring in funds.
West Ham will be busy in both directions in a summer where getting it right has perhaps never been more important.
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