Graham Potter ‘wants’ West Ham to sign ‘best finisher’ who recently scored at London Stadium. West Ham boss Graham Potter has reportedly decided on his prime summer transfer target, according to one report. The Hammers moved to land a temporary solution to their striker problem in the January window, signing Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton, with Potter reuniting with the Irishman.
Potter lost Niclas Fullkrug within days of his arrival, with the German picking up another injury, and he is not expected to return for weeks, while Crysencio Summerville could be out until some time in the spring, and Michail Antonio is out for what will likely be a year or more.
Ferguson will plug the gap for now, providing he can stay fit, but Potter will want a more permanent solution in the summer. According to CaughtOffside, Potter’s preferred target ahead of next season will be in-form Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. The 27-year-old is a workhorse of a target man, something you don’t often find in a player of that profile, and he has an eye for goal, too.
Mateta has scored 13 goals in 28 appearances across all competitions this season, and he recently scored twice to defeat Manchester United. The striker also scored a brace to defeat West Ham at the London Stadium just a few weeks ago, a game Potter was in charge for.
There have been reports that Palace would ask for £42million to sell Mateta, which is more than £30million more than they paid for him in 2022. The frontman is currently under contract until 2026, which may make him gettable this summer, given he will only have a year left on his contract, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Eagles push for a new deal based on his recent form.
Palace boss Glasner has said of Mateta recently: “I didn’t tell him to talk to the goalkeeper coach. This shows JP. He is the best finisher I’ve worked with, maybe Wout Weghorst at Wolfsburg was similar when he got the ball in the box, he was a great finisher. All the others didn’t have such finishing quality like JP – with the right foot, left foot and head.
“This is his biggest strength, and now it’s our job to create situations where he can get the ball in these dangerous areas because we know he will score goals for us.”
