West Ham Transfer News: Hammers favourites to sign Chelsea outcast following Potter appointment

 

Graham Potter was finally announced as West Ham boss on Thursday morning. West Ham confirmed the worst kept secret in football on Wednesday as they relieved Julen Lopetegui of his duties with Potter brought in as his successor at the London Stadium. 

 

Potter has put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal in east London side, with a testing FA Cup trip to Aston Villa on Friday night his first game at the Hammers helm. Why West Ham waited so long to relieve Lopetegui of his duties remains to be seen but Potter could prove a solid appointment provided he is given the patience required to make his mark in the capital. 

 

 

While it remains to be seen just how active West Ham will be in the market – they invested heavily over the summer to bring in the likes of Max Kilman, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Niclas Fullkrug, among others – Potter will need the backing of the board to make the best possible start to life in London. 

 

And even before Potter’s appointment as West Ham boss, the Hammers were overwhelming favourites to sign Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall this month. Indeed, West Ham are now at 11/10 to be Dewsbury-Hall’s next club just six months after following Enzo Maresca from Leicester to Chelsea. 

 

The 26-year-old has struggled for regular game time under former Foxes boss Maresca in the first half of the season, registering just 56 minutes of Premier League action. Rather, Dewsbury-Hall has featured prominently in European action, starting all but one of Chelsea’s six UEFA Conference League games this season, scoring twice.

 

Behind Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Renato Veiga in the midfield pecking order, Chelsea are prepared to cash in on Dewsbury-Hall this month. West Ham may have an abundance of midfielders as things stand, but Potter is reportedly looking to add another body in the middle of the park, with the former Leicester man hopeful that a move away from Stamford Bridge can kickstart his career. 

 

It's unclear just how many new faces will walk through the London Stadium entrance before the February 3rd deadline, but even so; West Ham have been linked with a number of new arrivals in the winter window. 

 

 

The Hammers are currently at 4/1 to add a new striker in the form of Evan Ferguson, who was handed his Brighton debut by Potter. Ben Chilwell is another Chelsea player up for grabs with West Ham at 5/1 to sign the England international, another who has worked with Potter in the past, while another Blues midfielder struggling for minutes, Carney Chukwuemeka, is at 8/1 to cross the London divide. 

 

Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham (12/1), Randal Kolo Muani (16/1) and Marcus Rashford (20/1) are others who have been linked with moves to West Ham, though the Hammers are well down the pecking order in their push to sign any of the trio.

West Ham Transfer News: Hammers favourites to sign Chelsea outcast following Potter appointment