West Ham United they made an offer to sign the striker they were actually looking for back in 2021, as co-chairman David Sullivan seeks to support the now official new manager Graham Potter with potential signatures.
West Ham announce Graham Potter as new manager
On Wednesday afternoon, the Hammers confirmed the sacking of Julen Lopetegui as head coach after just six months in charge, and it didn’t take long for the club to officially announce Potter as the Spaniard’s successor.
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The tactician has been out of work since April 2023, after being sacked by Chelsea, but is now back on the bench and ready to try to reverse West Ham’s poor fortunes under his predecessor.
Potter has put pen to paper on a two-year contract at the London Stadium and will take charge of his first West Ham game in the FA Cup against Aston Villa on Friday.
“I’m glad to be here,” he said Potter after taking the job at West Ham. “It was important for me to wait until a job came along that I felt was right for me and also that I was the right choice for the club I was joining. That’s the feeling I have with West Ham United.
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West Ham’s next five matches in the Premier League |
Date |
|---|---|
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Fulham (home) |
January 14 |
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Crystal Palace (house) |
January 18 |
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Aston Villa (away) |
January 26 |
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Chelsea (away) |
February 3 |
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Brentford (home) |
February 15 |
“My conversations with the president and the board of directors were very positive and constructive, we share the same values of hard work and great energy to create solid foundations that can produce success and we are on the same wavelength in terms of what is needed in the short term and then how we want to move the Club forward in the medium and long term.
“West Ham United is a huge club, in the heart of London, with a huge fan base and great support around the world. I saw the scenes that followed their victory in the European Conference League 2023, and it was clear that this is a club with everything in place to become consistently successful, on and off the pitch.”
With their managerial situation now resolved, attention turns to January, as West Ham are keen to sign a new striker before the February 3 deadline.
West Ham offer loan to Benfica star Arthur Cabral
According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, via Sport Witness, Benfica striker Arthur Cabral is back on their radar. Interestingly, the Brazilian was a target of David Moyes, with West Ham are holding meetings about Cabral as early as 2021 – during his time at FC Basel in Switzerland.
It now appears that Sullivan and technical director Tim Steidten are back in the running for his services, and it is believed West Ham offered Cabral on loan with an option to buy.
Serie A side Torino did the same thing, but Benfica rejected both of their approaches – insisting that any temporary deal must include a mandatory purchase option. The Premier League heavyweights want the buyout clause to be set at around £12.5m, which doesn’t seem like much on the surface, but Cabral hasn’t exactly been prolific over the past two seasons.
In addition, the 26-year-old center forward finished the 2022/2023 season. as the top scorer in the European Conference League with seven goals – in the year West Ham won the competition.
