As the dust settles on the 2025 summer transfer window, I look back on where I think it has left us and whether it was successful or not. Under Graham Potter, we aimed to inject fresh energy into a squad that had started to age, lacked physicality and perhaps leadership.
With a net spend of approximately £54 million, the club was active, bringing in nine first-team additions while waving goodbye to several long-serving stalwarts. However, early signs from the 2025/26 Premier League campaign – marked by three defeats and one victory in the opening four matches – suggest this window has been more of a mixed bag than a resounding success.
New Signings: Potential, Price, and Pragmatism
Our recruitment strategy focused on bringing in some young talent alongside affordable options.
- Midfield Talent: The club splashed out on promising talents, headlined by Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes (£42 million from Southampton), seen as a long-term investment bringing creativity and tenacity. Soungoutou Magassa (£17.3 million) arrived from Monaco to add much needed physicality.
- Defensive Upgrades: Defensively, we committed to Jean-Clair Todibo (£35 million obligation from Nice), who is yet to impress consistently. Left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf (£19 million) from Slavia Prague is a versatile young defender expected to provide directness and crossing ability.
- Experienced Additions: Free agent Kyle Walker-Peters returned from Southampton, offering reliability and helping with the homegrown numbers. Experienced striker Callum Wilson joined on a free from Newcastle. His goal against Forest helped quell some fan backlash over his age and injury record.
- Goalkeeping Risk: In goal, Mads Hermansen (£18 million) arrived from relegated Leicester City. His first few games were a disaster, though the clean sheet against Nottingham Forest could be a turning point.
- Deadline Coup: Brazilian center-back Igor Julio arrived on loan from Brighton late in the window, adding immediate Premier League know-how and indirectly scuppering Liverpool’s pursuit of Marc Guehi.
The Great Clear-Out: Lost Legends and Controversy
On the flip side of West Ham’s activity was a significant clear-out, which generated healthy funds but left the squad feeling denuded. The most controversial move was the £55 million sale of winger Mohammed Kudus to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. While necessary, moving to Spurs never goes down well with the fans.
Several club heroes departed on free transfers: Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Michail Antonio, and Kurt Zouma. These exits, while necessary for wage bill management, lacked a clear succession plan, leaving Potter short on experienced leadership. Overall, 17 departures recouped £89.5 million.
Final Assessment: Shrewd Negotiation vs. Missing Pieces
On paper, West Ham’s window looks solid: A net positive spend on youth with upside, physical defensive upgrades to suit Potter’s possession-based style, and savvy free transfers.
However, the reality has been less rosy. We missed out on targets like Harvey Elliott and Douglas Luiz, leaving midfield and attack light on options. TalkSport ranked West Ham 18th out of 20 Premier League clubs for their window, arguing that Potter was “let down” by uninspiring deals.
My opinion is that we have bought well across the board offering a good mix of youth and experience. However, we need to get our long-term forward situation resolved and it seems like we have another temporary fix. We also needed to add one more midfielder and perhaps a new winger to the mix too. The following weeks will tell.
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