West Ham’s struggles in front of goal have been a key talking point this season.
We spoke to James Jones of LondonWorld, who believes finding a reliable source of goals will be top of the agenda this summer, especially if the club wants to take the next step under Potter’s leadership.
We spoke to James Jones of LondonWorld, who believes finding a reliable source of goals will be top of the agenda this summer, especially if the club wants to take the next step under Potter’s leadership.
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00:00Now, West Ham's struggles in front of goal have been a key talking point this season
00:07with Graham Potter's side lacking the attacking edge needed to consistently challenge higher up the table.
00:14Despite plenty of build-up play and possession, turning chances into goals has often been a major issue.
00:21While the team has shown flashes of promise, the absence of a consistent goal scorer has held them back in tighter games.
00:28Questions remain over whether the current forward options are enough
00:32or if West Ham need to prioritise a proven striker in the summer window to push on under Potter.
00:38I spoke to James Jones of London World who pointed out that West Ham's attacking numbers have dipped significantly compared to recent seasons.
00:46He believes finding a reliable source of goals will be a top of the agenda this summer,
00:52especially if the club wants to take the next step under Potter's leadership.
00:58So, James, just looking at Nicholas Fulcrug, obviously back in the fold,
01:03he's had a pretty torrid start to his West Ham career, obviously being injured a couple of times and then coming back.
01:09I mean, in terms of this run-in for West Ham, I mean, it does offer a big boost having him in inside.
01:14He can really show that hold-up play a lot better than a few of the other players up front for West Ham.
01:20He's a very important focal point.
01:23What does his return bring in terms of confidence going forward?
01:27Does it maybe, you know, lighten up this running that we've mentioned is a bit of, you know, dead rubber at this stage?
01:33But, you know, a real positive could see him, you know, getting a few goals in a West Ham shirt and going into the summer,
01:39you know, having a few more goals under his belt.
01:42Well, I think, I actually think Fulcrug's return from injury could be the boost that we've needed for some time.
01:49I know there are a lot of fans and even neutrals that have almost written him off as a bit of a flop at West Ham,
01:54given his injury record, and he's been very, very unlucky with that.
01:57But we saw in the 15 minutes he had in Graham Potter's first game before he limped off injured,
02:04just how effective he can be.
02:06He played such an important role in that goal against Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round.
02:11The hold-up play, laying it off to Somerville, and then obviously he'd be scored for the end of that move.
02:17And he was just, he was a nuisance.
02:19And you can see that the intelligence in his play is exactly the type of intelligence that Graham Potter likes in a front man.
02:25So it was a huge blow to lose him just 15 minutes into Graham Potter's time at the club.
02:31And so I felt that when he does come back, if he can come back fully fit and be, you know, as the same player,
02:38then we've got, you know, that could solve a lot of our problems going forward.
02:43We've already discussed the issues in the final third.
02:45And we saw in the second half when he came off the bench, came on at half time,
02:49immediately we looked a lot more dangerous.
02:51Yes, we didn't score, but we looked a lot more dangerous going forward.
02:55He hit the bar as well in that second half.
02:58So I think his return is going to be a huge thing for West Ham in the final eight games of the season.
03:05It's whether we can get him to a fitness level where he can start games.
03:10But I think that would be the long-term plan for Graham Potter.
03:13But, yeah, I mean, despite being written off and despite the injuries that he's had,
03:20you can't deny that the talent he's got and that, you know, his career has been fantastic,
03:25particularly over the last five years.
03:27You know, he started a Champions League final for Borussia Dortmund last season,
03:31scored goals for Germany in the Euros.
03:32So this isn't a player that we've just plucked off out of thin air and, you know,
03:38we're hoping he might come good.
03:39You know, he's a seasoned striker that's proven that he can score goals at the very highest level.
03:44He just needs a little bit of luck with his fitness and he needs a run of games.
03:49And I don't think he's really had the opportunity to have that.
03:51But he's already shown signs, especially under Graham Potter,
03:55that he can be an important member of this football team.
03:58And, yeah, if we can keep him fit, then I think we might see him on the score sheet
04:03quite a few times between now and the end of the season,
04:05just to ensure that we're not disgracing ourselves.
04:09We don't fall back into old habits.
04:10I think we continue to have the defence nice and tight.
04:14And if we can score a few goals and improve that end of the pitch,
04:16then I think we can say that's a bit of progress heading into the summer
04:19where there will be a lot of change, like we've said.
04:22Because there's nothing to play for other than the players playing for their future at the club.
04:29So, yeah, it doesn't really, it's difficult to predict.
04:33But I'd like to think we'll end relatively comfortably.
04:37I think it's not going to be a struggle to get results.
04:41But at the same time, it's not going to be easy.