Gabby Agbonlahor slams West Ham duo as ‘not good enough’ in fresh Graham Potter claim
Graham Potter’s West Ham United side have struggled for form early on in the season, and the 50-year-old is under scrutiny at the London Stadium.
Last time out in the Premier League, Tottenham dispatched West Ham 3-0, with fans leaving early for the second home match in a row.
Chelsea’s victory over West Ham was a particularly low point for Potter’s side, who lost 5-1, but many believe the issues at the club go deeper than the head coach.
Troy Deeney has criticised West Ham’s backroom staff, and Potter proved his worth when the club snatched a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, thanks to a Crysencio Summerville masterclass.
Gabby Agbonlahor says West Ham’s recruitment isn’t good enough
West Ham have seen some major squad turnover in the last two seasons, with only five members of the side that started the 2023 Conference League final win over Fiorentina still at the club.
Gabby Agbonlahor has pointed to West Ham’s poor recruitment as one of the key reasons for their struggles so far this season.
Agbonlahor spoke on talkSPORT, saying: “I think it’s the recruitment, isn’t it? After winning the Conference League, West Ham fans are probably thinking, ‘Alright, let’s go, we’re probably going to finish in European places now, we’re going to try and win the Europa League next.’
“But some of the players they brought in, you look at [Jean-Clair] Todibo, not good enough, [Konstantinos] Mavropanos, not good enough.
Despite their woeful start to the season, Agbonlahor has urged West Ham to stick with Potter through this difficult period.
“They’ve got it better this summer with some of the signings they’ve made, and they’ve got to bear with him [Potter] because they got a good result at Nottingham Forest, and had a disappointing result last week, but were down to 10 men,” Agbonlahor added.
“So West Ham fans have every right to be frustrated because you want to see your club go to the next level, not go backwards, which they have.”
West Ham face tough run before international break
Potter would surely love to head into the international break in October with another six points under his belt, but the Hammers have a tough run coming up.
Firstly, they welcome Crystal Palace to East London for their second capital derby in two weeks, with Oliver Glasner’s side still unbeaten so far in the league.
| Premier League 2025-26 table so far | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | GD | Points |
| 16. Leeds United | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -5 | 4 |
| 17. Burnley | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 3 |
| 18. West Ham United | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -7 | 3 |
| 19. Aston Villa | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 2 |
| 20. Wolves | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -7 | 0 |
After that comes a tough trip to Everton’s new home, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, where West Ham will come up against former boss David Moyes, who has the Toffees firing early in the season.
Finally comes another trip, this time across London to face Arsenal, who look to be in imperious form coming out of the September international break.
Potter will hope his side can earn a first home win of the season and nick a point or two away from home, but there’s a very real possibility that his side pick up no points between now and late October.