- West Ham United are in danger of suffering their first relegation in 15 years
- The Hammers are expected to undertake a playing squad rebuild
- Ollie Scarles could headline the new iteration of West Ham’s squad
For the first time in fifteen years, West Ham United are in danger of being relegated from the Premier League with one game remaining to salvage their season. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are on the brink of the drop after suffering a devastating loss to Newcastle United on Sunday; their survival now depends on both their own outcome and favours from other teams between now and the final day.
After years of top-flight stability, European football, and significant squad investment, relegation to the Championship would be a massive financial and competitive loss for the club. Questions have already been raised about the futures of many important players, the influence on transfer plans, and what relegation might imply for the club’s long-term strategy if the Hammers fail to make a spectacular escape.
Relegation would also likely necessitate significant behind-the-scenes changes, with the club expected to rethink its spending, salaries, and recruitment strategy in preparation for life in the second division. Supporters have already expressed frustration with a tough season, and slipping out of the Premier League might signal the start of a massive rebuild both on and off the pitch at the London Stadium.
So, who are the three players West Ham must realistically keep and build around for the club’s next iteration?
Mads Hermansen
After his role in Sunday’s defeat, misplacing a pass in the build-up that gave Newcastle the chance to open the scoring, it may seem obvious to cut ties with the player who could cost West Ham their top-flight status.
Yet, it would be a disservice to Mads Hermansen’s resilient West Ham career to state he was anything other than determined to succeed at the club. After all, following a four-month hiatus where he lost his first-choice spot after a poor start to the season, the Dane has rebounded since his Player of the Match performance in a 2-0 win over Burnley in February, keeping six clean sheets since then.
Hermansen showed at Leicester City during their promotion-winning season in 2023-24 and the next season in the Premier League, which prompted West Ham to acquire him. The 25-year-old has shot-stopping chops that can lay the foundation for a winning team.
The aspect that would make Hermansen an alluring keeper would, of course, be his experience. In the expectation that most senior players will leave, for financial or carrer reasons, maintaining a player with a Championship-winning season on his CV can’t be overlooked.
Oliver Scarles
As it has been seen in the past for clubs of West Ham’s status, relegation provides the opportunity for the team’s top talents to step up, and for the Hammers, no player will represent that more than Ollie Scarles.
The 21-year-old Bromley-born full-back has firmly been usurped in the club’s left-back pecking order since the arrival of Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague last summer. Diouf, one year older than Scarles, has emerged as one of the brightest talents in the Premier League and will likely depart. Thus, opening a place for Scarles to overtake.
Under past manager Graham Potter, Scarles’ propensity for duels was the main attraction to his West Ham breakthrough last season. A limited offensive game, which Diouf has showcased as a massive plus, has likely been the source of his momentary halt under Nuno; however, a year in the second division, where West Ham will be intent on dominating games, would be an opportunity to develop that side of Scarles’ game.
Freddie Potts
Like fellow academy graduate Scarles, Freddie Potts has found gametime hard to come by in West Ham’s run-in. Mainly due to the brilliance of Mateus Fernandes, who shares a similar metronome profile to Potts, but also because of the physicality demanded in Nuno’s system.
There’s an understanding that Nuno will set up his side to sit in and counter, so Tomás Soucek’s combative profile has been a plus. As stated, relegation would likely signal a shift in ideology, regardless of the manager, and promote the technical skill set of Barking-born Potts.
Potts, 22, won Portsmouth’s Young Player of the Year award in the Championship last season and would be an obvious replacement to take over Fernandes’ reign.
