The Premier League is on a hiatus and the games will resume only in August but the most loved football championship in the world never takes a real vacation. 

Front offices and technical directors are busy in building winning rosters for the next season. A team that is catching the enthusiasts’ eye is West Ham. The Hammers have given Graham Potter the freedom to look for the players he likes the most during summer preparation. A lot rides on this season and David Sullivan is expecting good results.

The team enters the new Premier League season with a mix of solid experience and exciting new talent. The roster seems strong enough to put together a positive campaign and this raises a question: could West Ham be the dark horse in 2025/2026? With the potential to upset the league’s top contenders, many fans are turning to the betting markets to back the Hammers. For the latest free bets and offers, view more here and make the most of the action as the season unfolds, or before it begins. Whoever buys West Ham’s potential could take his or her chances right now, as well as closer to opening week.

This is Graham Potter’s West Ham through and through

Graham Potter became the Hammers’ gaffer only last January, when he replaced the disappointing Julien Lopetegui. The new head coach spoke about a long-term project from the very beginning, and the front office backed him through his whole tenure. This year he must show his idea of football and put together some wins in order to qualify for an European trophy, possibly the most prestigious. This is the explicit target for the Hammers.

In order to match these high expectations, the coach insisted on a keyword: unity. He deeply believes that a team plays better when it fights as one and looks forward to the summer tournament in the US, an exhibition that will give him and the team a lot of indications about where the team is going and whether new faces are needed. 

Speaking with the local media, Potter said that the upcoming Premier League Summer Series (this is the name of the American tournament) is going to be great. His idea is that the series of friendly matches will be a chance to meet local supporters, bring visibility to the West Ham brand and, obviously, try some things on the pitch. We can expect the Hammers to give space to youngsters, new players and faces that weren’t used too often last season.

How will the Hammers move on the transfer market

When West Ham flies to the States, at the end of July, they will be without some well known players. Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings and Kurt Zouma won’t be part of the team in 2025/2026. Their contracts are ending on June 30th and won’t be renewed. For the moment, Michail Antonio is still a Hammer and will remain so, but the team must still make a definitive decision on his future. Thus, there will be some holes to fill during this transfer market.

 A player who will be in Stratford next year is Jean-Clair Todibo, who is officially a Hammer after the club decided to buy him out of Nice after last year’s loan. West Ham is really interested in Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who could be included in a swap with forward Mohammed Kudus, who is liked a lot in Stamford Bridge. The Ghana international, however, could end up staying with the Hammers, since Potter likes him too. Whether Kudus remains in town, West Ham will sign only another 9, and he will probably be Daniel Cummings from Celtic. If the Ghanean leaves, the team will need another striker.

West Ham is still in the planning phase while we write this, but it is about time to begin to move on the market, or the window to sign top talent will shut down.