Graham Potter has now been in charge of West Ham for five games, winning once, drawing once and losing three times.
The Hammers are now out of the FA Cup and sit 15th in the Premier League after 24 games so it’s safe to say he’s walked into a troubling scenario.
West Ham are averaging 46.5% possession this season which is alarmingly, is the fifth lowest figure in the division while they are taking 13.8 shots per game (9th highest in the league) and conceding 16.7 shots per game (4th highest).
Things have looked better since Potter took charge, however, and the addition of Evan Ferguson should also help the English boss by having a natural centre-forward to finally lead the line.
Evan Ferguson's record at Brighton
Ferguson has already played under Potter once before at Brighton, playing five games for the English coach, scoring one goal, providing two assists and totalling 180 minutes. But it was under the next Brighton coach, Roberto De Zerbi, that Ferguson took the next step, making 60 appearances, netting 15 goals and providing three assists.
Potter has been playing with Lucas Paqueta as a false nine in recent weeks, tasking him with being the focal point for the team, bringing down long balls, making it stick and trying to bring others into play, so an addition like Ferguson will clearly suit this style of play, being able to operate as a target man.
The 20-year-old has struggled for minutes under Fabian Hurzeler this term, with the likes of Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro ahead of him in the pecking order, managing 15 appearances, but only scoring one goal and taking to the field across 401 minutes.
Ultimately, this has led to a loan opportunity for Ferguson at West Ham, to work with Potter once again. It has come at the perfect time, with the new West Ham boss desperately needing a classic number nine through the middle.
But, this could have been avoided if the Hammers hadn’t sold a certain centre-forward of their own back in 2023.
West Ham sold big-money striker too soon
West Ham signed Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo for a fee of around £35.5m in 2022, and went on to make 27 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals.
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But just one year later, the Hammers sold the Italian, who returned to Italy, joining Atalanta for a fee of around £21.5m plus add-ons, making a huge loss on the striker after just one season.
When you compare Scamacca’s underlying numbers from his last season at West Ham vs his first at Atalanta, you can see the vast improvement across the board. Indeed, the only metric that he’s not improved is aerial duels won per 90, which only regressed by 0.05.
Goals
0.37
0.74
Assists
0.06
0.27
xG
0.24
0.47
Progressive Carries
1.26
1.43
Progressive Passes
1.65
2.27
Shots Total
3.00
3.74
Goals/Shot
0.08
0.20
Key Passes
1.26
1.68
Aerial Duels Won
1.65
1.60
Liverpool’s ex-manager, Jürgen Klopp, labelled Scamacca “exceptional” after playing against his Reds side, stating he was a “handful” to play against, great in the air and on the floor. In short, he’s a bit Ferguson and would perhaps be an evening better option.
Since joining Atalanta, Scamacca has made 45 appearances for the Italian club, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists in 2,324 minutes. If we compare that to Ferguson, the Irishman has found the net just seven times.
It feels like the best is still yet to come for the 26-year-old Italin, who West Ham would sure like to have back on their books if they could turn back the clocks.
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