Major Will Salthouse development for West Ham as Graham Potter drops big hint. There has been a major Will Salthouse development for West Ham as Graham Potter drops a big hint over the future. Will Salthouse is a name well known to those who follow West Ham.
Unique Sports Group agency chief Salthouse is close friends with the sons of West Ham’s majority owner David Sullivan – as well as the man himself. Salthouse has been a growing presence in West Ham’s decision-making in recent years.
It was claimed in the summer that Salthouse was key to Julen Lopetegui being hired. In fact Sullivan’s relationship with Salthouse was attacked by a prominent journalist last month.
Sam Wallace claimed the influence Salthouse has in Sullivan’s decision-making means ‘West Ham will never progress as a club’. Although that bold statement stuck a chord with many Hammers fans who have been critical of the board, there are two sides to the alliance.
It is easy to be myopic about your club. Especially when things aren’t going well – as has been the case for most of the last 14 months at West Ham. But most football clubs have one or two preferred agents they use for deals.
Major Will Salthouse development for West Ham
Whether it is the right way to run a club is open to debate. However, Salthouse’s firm has well over 300 players and managers on their books after a merger with German agency International Sports Management four years ago.
So he’s hardly a bad person to know in football.
Whether Sullivan is too easily influenced by Salthouse’s suggestions and recommendations only they will know. West Ham fans won’t be complaining about some of the deals he’s helped enable.
Take what was arguably one of West Ham’s – and the Premier League’s – best summer signings for example – Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Most fans would agree he has been one of the shining lights in an otherwise dreadful campaign.
His agent is Salthouse. So it shows the relationship can be beneficial to West Ham as well. Would West Ham have been able to do a deal for Wan-Bissaka without Salthouse’s involvement? Who knows. But it can’t have hurt. And the entire league is in agreement, £15m was a steal.
Ironically Wan-Bissaka has become intrinsically linked to a new twist over a summer signing being lined up at the London Stadium.
At the weekend it was reported that West Ham are in early talks over signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis from relegation certs Southampton.
Bellis switch comes as Potter drops big Hammers hint. It has been claimed the Hammers want Roy Keane’s son-in-law-to-be and can sign him for £15m as part of a relegation clause. The report, from journalist Alan Nixon, also stated Harwood-Bellis was changing agent ahead of his summer move.
Now it has emerged that new agency is Salthouse’s USG after they confirmed as much on their social media feeds. “Welcome to Unique Sports Group, Taylor Harwood-Bellis!” the post read.
“We’re buzzing to have the Southampton centre back, Taylor as part of the USG family. “A big future ahead, can’t wait to be part of it with you, Taylor!
Many West Ham fans have questioned how signing Harwood-Bellis would work, though. The writing seems to be on the wall for Konstantinos Mavropanos at West Ham.
And yes competition for places is needed in a Premier League squad. But would Harwood-Bellis really join given that £72m duo Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo would be first choice ahead of him?
Back five to stay at West Ham thanks to Wan-Bissaka. At the moment he would fit in as Graham Potter is with three centre-backs and wingbacks.
Now the Hammers boss has dropped a big hint that formation is here to stay, meaning Harwood-Bellis would be the perfect signing to complete West Ham’s defensive jigsaw.
And it’s all thanks to another of Salthouse’s clients, Wan-Bissaka. The Hammer of the Year in waiting was West Ham’s man of the match in the win at Arsenal.
Wan-Bissaka has consistently been the team’s best player all season. Now Potter has raved about the Spider and believes the win-back role gets the best out of him – suggesting it’s here to stay.
“He’s been really impressive,” Potter said of Wan-Bissaka in his latest West Ham press conference.
“The wing-back role probably brings the best out of him – he can do both sides of the game. “He’s working away and we’re delighted to have him.”
If wingback brings the best out of your best player then that’s where he will continue to play. That means the starting centre-backs for West Ham next season.
