As they look to turn their season around at the beginning of a new era under Graham Potter, West Ham United have reportedly made contact in the race to sign an unexpected first target.
West Ham transfer news
Julen Lopetegui’s dismissal had been looking like a matter of when rather than if for some time and defeat against Liverpool and Manchester City proved to be the final straw. Shipping nine goals in two games, the Hammers have officially replaced the Spaniard with former Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter, who’s back in the technical area for the first time since 2023.
Speaking to the club’s official website after putting pen to paper, Potter said: “I am delighted to be here. It was important to me that I waited until a job came along that I felt was right for me, and equally that I was the right fit for the Club I am joining. That is the feeling I have with West Ham United.
“My conversations with the Chairman and the Board have been very positive and constructive, we share the same values of hard work and high energy to create the 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 to long term.”
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With the January transfer window rolling on too, the new manager may not have to wait long to mark his stamp on his new side, which could see one particular star arrive.
According to radio outlet talkSPORT, West Ham have now made shock contact in the race to sign Marcus Rashford on loan for the rest of the season ahead of interest from European giants AC Milan and the rest of the chasing pack.
Asking to be kept informed about the forward’s situation at Manchester United, the Hammers could land the ultimate statement signing to kick off the Potter era with a bang.
Rashford can quickly become Lingard repeat
Of course, Rashford wouldn’t be the first Manchester United player to seek a return to form on loan at West Ham. It wasn’t so long ago that Jesse Lingard was enjoying arguably the form of his career in a sensational loan spell at the London Stadium, in which he went from an outcast at Old Trafford to a star who couldn’t be denied in front of goal at West Ham.
Now, Rashford can complete a similar move and undergo a similar revival. Like Lingard was, Rashford has been cast aside at Manchester United and often forced to watch from the reserves as Ruben Amorim endures a tough start to life at Old Trafford.
At this stage, an exit seems an inevitability. The only question is just who will take a chance on the struggling forward. In a new era, West Ham could yet be the first club to provide a resounding answer to that question.