Graham Potter admits West Ham are “hurting” but insists his side are not far from getting back “on a good path”.
Potter is under increasing pressure after the Hammers started the season with back-to-back Premier League defeats and an early Carabao Cup exit after losing at Wolves in midweek.
But the former Brighton and Chelsea head coach, whose squad was boosted by the £40million signing of Mateus Fernandes from Southampton on Friday, said it was not time to offer reassurances.
West Ham United is delighted to announce the signing of Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes ✍️
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 29, 2025
Potter, whose side play at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, said: “I don’t think it’s about reassurances. I’m an experienced manager, I try my best and it’s my job to help the players.
“We’re all hurting, because the pre-season was encouraging. We lost at Sunderland and against Chelsea, and we’re not shying away from the fact that things haven’t been good.
“At the same time, I don’t think we’re far from a performance and a result that gets things on a good path.”
Fernandes has signed a five-year deal with the Hammers and said he was “very excited to play for the club” after his arrival in east London.
Graham Potter is under increasing pressure following West Ham’s poor start to the season (Mike Egerton/PA)
The Portugal Under-21 international added: “It’s a big step for me. It’s a big club, a massive club. The project, the stadium, the city, everything.
“I want to try to play football, enjoy football, not just run and try to score, but try to play good football. The most important thing is to try to give everything every day.”
Potter said the arrival of Fernandes adds a “different dimension” to his squad and did not necessarily complete West Ham’s transfer activity before the window closes.
“We’ll always look until the end of the window,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. I think it’ll be one of those windows that’s going to be a lot of activity late.
“We need to make sure we’re aware and aligned to make the right calls. You’ve always got to look to improve and at the same time improve the players that we have.”
On his latest signing, Potter added: “We believe that his attributes and strengths will bring a different dimension to the squad and, from speaking to him, I know that he can’t wait to get started here.
“He has shown great maturity and character for someone so young, and we look forward to seeing his continued progress and impact at West Ham United.”
