West Ham United really struggled to get going last season in the Premier League, even after Graham Potter took on the reins.
The Hammers did manage to bow out of their unmemorable 2024/25 campaign in the top flight with back-to-back away victories at Manchester United and Ipswich Town. Still, the ex-Chelsea manager will have his work cut out for him to turn his fortunes around, with those two away-day wins making up a large chunk of his meagre five wins as Irons boss.
He will hope he’s given adequate time to leave his mark on the Hammers set-up, having only lasted a rash 31 games in the Stamford Bridge hot seat, with the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters already entering the building this summer, marking the start of West Ham’s makeover.
Up next, the Hammers could welcome in some attacking additions, with one target already in mind who might well be the top-flight club’s second coming of Jarrod Bowen.
West Ham prepare offer for £6m sensation
Of course, the Hammers are likely to be on the hunt now for an immediate Mohammed Kudus replacement, after the one-time fan favourite in East London defected over to enemy lines to join Tottenham Hotspur for £55m.
James McAtee might well be the replacement for Kudus that West Ham have up their sleeve, alongside Potter and Co. also reportedly showing interest in the services of Shakhtar Donetsk ace Georgiy Sudakov as their net widens out to Ukraine.
A new, up-and-coming centre-forward might also be on their agenda – even after Potter’s recent comments played down the importance of bringing in fresh talent up top – with West Ham-oriented website Claret and Hugh relaying information that the Hammers are reportedly considering an offer for breakout Wycombe Wanderers star Richard Kone.
Already this summer, Kone has been subject to a £6m bid from Luton Town, on top of interest coming from Brentford, Celtic, and Crystal Palace, but it’s West Ham who now allegedly lead the charge for the former non-league attacker.
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Bowen’s G/A record before West Ham |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Games played |
Goals scored |
Assists |
|
Hull City |
131 |
54 |
14 |
|
Hereford Town |
8 |
1 |
1 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
|||
Bowen also once found himself in the non-league scene with Hereford Town, before going on to solidify himself as a Premier League-worthy talent in the EFL with Hull City, as Kone now braces himself for that next gigantic step in his own career after a whirlwind campaign with the Chairboys.
Why Kone can be West Ham’s next Bowen
Nobody at the London Stadium would have anticipated how vital Bowen would eventually become to the West Ham cause when he first joined the camp for £22m back in 2020.
There was a lot of excitement in the air that he would be a success story, though, having fired home a clinical 54 strikes for the Tigers in the demanding Championship, but even Bowen wouldn’t have anticipated that after 238 clashes in East London, he would be captaining the side after amassing an astounding 125 goals and assists in total for his Premier League employers.
Bowen has even become a regular on the international stage for England, with Kone surely harbouring his own dreams of representing the Ivory Coast if a move to West Ham comes to fruition, off the back of a potent season leading the line for Wycombe.
Having still been on the books of non-league outfit Athletic Newham last year, it’s a remarkable rise Kone has undergone in such a short space of time, with Bowen acclimatising to the EFL equally well when jumping ship from Hereford to Hull.
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Kone’s league numbers for Wycombe (24/25) |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat – per 90 mins* |
Kone |
|
Games played |
41 |
|
Goals scored |
18 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Goal conversion % |
18% |
|
Touches* |
34.0 |
|
Accurate passes* |
11.1 (65%) |
|
Total duels won* |
5.9 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
|
As can be seen looking at the table above, the Ivorian excels when being utilised as a poacher, with his venomous 18 league strikes coming about from just 34 touches of the ball on average per League One affair.
Bowen might well be whipping in many a cross in for Kone to latch onto, therefore, with the 22-year-old’s prowess in the air – which saw him win an impressive 5.9 duels on average in League One – also making him a suitable fit for the Premier League’s intense nature.
Labelled as a striker who “has got everything” by Wycombe great Joe Jacobson, it wouldn’t be the wildest shout to expect Kone to grow even more confident if East London came calling, mirroring Bowen’s sharp ascent in the process.
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