West Ham United‘s tactical approach has changed in recent weeks under Graham Potter. Despite their fortunes not fully changing with results, the performances overall have shown good signs.
Where Julen Lopetegui played a 4-2-3-1, often leading to a very disjointed press, Potter has made adjustments to a 5-2-3, aiding their off-ball work, providing extra protection in the back line, but also allowing them to be more aggressive in the press.
Potter’s usage of wing backs, his approach to prioritise his best players, such as Mohamed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen, and his willingness to play more directly into a narrow front three, have given West Ham a different dynamic since his arrival.
That being said, there is still a big issue in one certain area of the pitch, which has been prevalent for quite some time now.
West Ham midfield issues
West Ham clearly have a mobility issue in the middle of the park, and this isn’t a new problem from this season. Since Declan Rice left the club in 2023, the Hammers midfield recruitment has lacked the necessary ground-covering attributes that were lost when the England international left the club.
Rice was sold to Arsenal for a fee of around £105m in the 2023/24 summer transfer window, and his replacement signings were Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse.
During the 2024/25 transfer windows, West Ham have failed to address this spot, with their further midfield additions also lacking mobility, with Guido Rodriguez the main defensive midfield signing, who joined on a free transfer in the summer.
|
Rice (2022/23) vs Alvarez & Soucek (2024/25) |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Rice |
Alvarez |
Soucek |
|
Goals + Assists |
0.16 |
0.06 |
0.26 |
|
Progressive Carries |
2.45 |
1.09 |
0.21 |
|
Progressive Passes |
6.59 |
4.01 |
2.94 |
|
Passes into Final Third |
6.40 |
4.56 |
2.68 |
|
Tackles |
2.17 |
2.52 |
1.55 |
|
Blocks |
1.24 |
1.29 |
1.29 |
|
Interceptions |
1.77 |
0.88 |
0.77 |
|
Ball Recoveries |
9.18 |
4.69 |
2.27 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
1.02 |
1.36 |
3.56 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
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When you compare Rice to the current midfield options for West Ham, you can see the mobility they are now missing, as Rice averaged 9.18 ball recoveries per 90 and made 2.45 progressive carries per 90, which is more than both Alvarez and Tomas Soucek combined in these metrics.
It could be argued that the Hammers did, at one stage, have a dream successor to the midfield powerhouse in their ranks, only to have seen him depart for a Premier League rival too…
West Ham lost their best talent since Rice
West Ham lost a “serious talent” according to Ben Mattinson in the same summer they lost Rice, with Divine Mukasa joining Manchester City on a long term deal.
The 17-year-old is already attracting interest from the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Ajax, having made 28 appearances for Manchester City’s U21 and U18 teams, scoring 14 goals and providing 21 assists.
The versatile attacking midfielder is left-footed, oozes class and creativity in the final third, whilst having the quality to operate in tight spaces between the lines.
His overall quality shines through, and he would surely already be getting minutes for West Ham’s first team this season – as Mattinson hinted at – had he stayed at the club, especially with the injury troubles in recent weeks.
Losing Rice in the 2023/24 summer window was bad enough, but at least the Hammers received a sizable fee for the England midfielder, which then allowed them to reinvest in their squad.
But losing Mukasa could come back to haunt them, as the youngster is showing he may well be the biggest talent to come through the academy since Rice.
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