West Ham United

Graham Potter's aim will be to win his first home game as West Ham boss, but I am not sure where his side's goals are going to come from.

The Hammers were already short up front and now Niclas Fullkrug has been sidelined by a hamstring injury. He was one of the players I said people should watch out for this season, but that has turned out the way most of my predictions do.

Fulham are a good team, but some of their recent results have been a bit strange.

They are eight league games unbeaten and safely into round four of the FA Cup but that run includes a couple of home draws, against Southampton and Ipswich, where I expected them to win.

I am still erring more towards a Fulham win than towards West Ham but, because Marco Silva's side have turned into draw specialists, I am going to go for another draw here too.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Monaco have made a second proposal to West Ham for Edson Alvarez, after their initial loan offer for the midfielder was rejected. (Mail, external)

The Hammers are poised to enquire about Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin before possibly making a move for the 27-year-old England striker. (GiveMeSport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Graham Potter has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game against Fulham (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Niclas Fullkrug's hamstring injury "is a significant one" and he will be sidelined for "a number of weeks."

• Crysencio Summerville "has a minor injury" and it is "touch and go" whether he will be available for Tuesday's game.

• Meanwhile, Emerson Palmieri "has made good progress and trained" and Konstantinos Mavropanos is available, but Jean-Clair Todibo is still undergoing physiotherapy.

• On his attacking options as the injury list grows: "Sometimes in these situations you have to be creative and look at your players' attributes. We've got options up front, in terms of Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and Danny Ings, so let's see."

• Potter added "there's certainly a logical rational" to looking at the transfer market but he "wouldn't want to do something for the sake of it in this window, which is always very complicated."

• The players are "on board" with his plans and "want to build together as a team" after "a tough period."

• On his first home game as manager: "I can't wait. I think our supporters know where we are with our journey. The result is the most important thing, ultimately. We want to play the right way, but points are helpful. If we could have both, that'd be great."

• On opponents Fulham: "They cross the ball and get down the wings well, and the centre-forward in the box is dangerous. They've got good options, but we're looking forward to the game, and hopefully we can be positive."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full commentary of West Ham v Fulham from 19:30 GMT on Tuesday as part of our live coverage on the BBC website

West Ham are ready to bring in a new forward after learning the full extent of 31-year-old German striker Niclas Fullkrug's hamstring injury, sustained in Friday's FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Fullkrug is set to be sidelined for up to three months for West Ham. (Sky Sports Germany, external)

Monaco have made a bid for West Ham midfielder Edson Alvarez, 27, after an offer to take the Mexico international on loan was rejected by the Hammers. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Finally, Brighton's Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, 20, has been linked with a loan move to West Ham. (TBR Football, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Friday's FA Cup tie between Aston Villa and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Aston Villa fans

Davey: Slow start and dire first half, and Irons got out the traps quickly with the Graham Potter bounce. Second half we were on it and Amadou Onana made a difference in midfield. Ollie Watkins industrious as ever! Good win on our 150 years.

Richard: In some ways, a great Villa performance. Able to adjust tempo now, and clearly adapt to opposition. Ian Maatsen went well. Great to see Jacob Ramsey fit again, and really pleased for Robin Olsen, who often draws the short straw. Ollie grew into things too. Not sure a long cup run is needed, but who knows. Like the anniversary shirt too.

Jason: One corner was given and a previous one wasn't. These things happen. The best team won in the end. UTV.

West Ham fans

Bill: Thought that the West Ham performance was much better than of late. Think we should have at least ended in a draw and chanced our luck with penalties. Shame the ref and linesman got it wrong to allow Villa to get their equaliser but that's football for you. I'm optimistic that the Hammers can push on in the Premier League now.

Stpehen: A significant and immediate improvement. High press in first half was effective but may have affected the team's last 20 minutes. The team's younger talent shone through, though it exposed a couple of the older members who will be gone by the end of the season. Great evening for Oliver Scarles and Crysencio Summerville. Even Lucas Paqueta seemed reinvigorated. Score not that relevant in this instance. Importance of clear language and instructions so important with managers. Well done, Potter.

Garry: I've been a West Ham fan through the dark times and good but Friday I saw a lot of positives and it was a typical game of two halves. First half, West Ham were good but the injuries took the sting out of the game and Villa took control. Overall, for a manger who only had little preparation with the team, the signs look good.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

What did you make of West Ham's display?

Come back to this page on Saturday to find a selection of your replies

BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for all 32 FA Cup third round games and given his verdict on who will make it into round four.

For this week's matches he is up against actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, who is a Liverpool fan.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Julen Lopetegui never felt like the right fit for West Ham, and we are about to find out whether Graham Potter can do any better.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is still fighting on the European front in the Champions League, as well as trying to get back in it for next season.

That has placed huge demands on his squad already - so you could argue that they don't need a cup run too - but I still think they will go through, especially because West Ham are badly missing the injured Jarrod Bowen up front.

Billy's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Graham Potter has already taken part in his first news conference at West Ham United, with the newly appointed manager saying "I consider myself lucky to be here" after a 21-month absence from management.

But Holly Turbutt from West Ham Network, external believes the English boss "has got a big job ahead of him" after taking on "an incredibly disjointed side".

So what should Potter's top priorities be? Holly gives her suggestions in the video below.

Image source, Getty Images

This is the first FA Cup meeting between Aston Villa and West Ham since March 1980, with the Hammers edging the quarter-final tie 1-0 on their way to winning the trophy.

Former Brighton striker Glenn Murray has been reflecting on his time working under "thought-provoking" and "meticulous" manager Graham Potter at Amex Stadium, following his appointment as West Ham boss.

"He's not rigid - he's not stuck in a system or a style. He's very fluid and I think we even see that in games," Murray told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"When I played under him, we would change formations two or three times in a single afternoon. It is quite a skill to be able to have your players understand everything you want from them and be able to change in games.

"I mean, these changes weren't made at half-time. He wasn't exactly sitting everyone down - it was an instruction from the sidelines. We all knew our jobs and how to change that style in games, which I think is credit to his managerial capabilities.

"Graham is a very thought-provoking manager. He knows exactly what he wants, but he wants feedback from the players. It's a collective rather than a dictatorship and he will meticulously study each and every opponent.

"He will plan the best way to try to penetrate and hurt that opponent, and obviously win games at the end of the week."

West Ham have been offered the opportunity to sign 24-year-old Canada and Lille forward Jonathan David. (GiveMeSport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham have expressed interest Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford but any deal remains unlikely.

The 26-year-old forward's wages, which are believed to be in excess of £300,000-a-week, and the number of clubs interested make any move difficult deal for West Ham to complete.

The competition includes Borussia Dortmund, who are also reluctant to pay Rashford's wages, while AC Milan, Juventus and Napoli have also been linked with a move.

United are open to allowing Rashford to leave the club in the January transfer window.

It follows his non-selection in the last five matches under new manager Ruben Amorim, albeit with illness cited as the reason for him missing the 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

West Ham, meanwhile, are keen to improve their squad after announcing Graham Potter as their new manager to replace Julen Lopetegui.

Attacking targets are being looked at, including Brighton striker Evan Ferguson, after striker Michail Antonio was hospitalised after a car crash in early December.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in January.

The Hammers are keen to bolster their squad after announcing Graham Potter as their new manager on Thursday morning.

Dewsbury-Hall is believed to be on the shortlist of options to improve the squad.

Chelsea are reportedly open to allowing Dewsbury-Hall to rebuild his confidence away from the club, after his initial struggles following his £30m summer move from Leicester.

Dewsbury-Hall has been unable to emulate his success under manager Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge, having won Leicester's Player of the Season award under Maresca - as the Midlands club won the Championship last season.

The former Blackpool and Luton star has made just five substitute Premier League appearances without starting a single league match for Chelsea this season.

But he has had a more prominent role in Carabao Cup and Conference League matches.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Graham Potter becoming the new West Ham head coach.

Here are some of your comments:

Gary: Potter still has a lot to prove as a manager and West Ham players are underperforming and have a lot to prove to the fans. The owners also have much to prove so maybe it will be OK, maybe?

Dave: 100% he has been out of the game too long. A great choice as manager, just a shame it took the board so long to implement.

Terry: Good man for the job. Good job for the man.

Adam: Potter was my second choice behind Lopetegui, so what do I know? But he has pedigree, was unfairly treated at Chelsea and that remains the only blot on his copy book. He inherits an OK team so let's hope he can get more out of them.

Mike: The new manager has to win over the fans quickly. We must play a different formation to take advantage of a hugely talented squad. The previous manager continued to play the same formation and tactics that David Moyes had done which was incredibly frustrating to the fans. I do have genuine hope that this could be a really positive turning point.

Roger: A great appointment, only one way to go for the Hammers - up.

John: I do feel he has the knowledge to stabilise the squad and bring back the team spirit that's been missing for a while. We need to be patient and give Graham time as it will be good football for at least a few weeks. Let's see how he gets on at the end of the season.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

New West Ham boss Graham Potter had his first press conference as the new head coach at the club on Thursday morning.

It is his first job since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 and in that time he has been linked with a number of jobs that he has not taken.

I asked Potter whether he felt like he had something to prove following his time out of the game and how it ended with the Blues.

He replied: "When I hear [Pep] Guardiola say he's got something to prove then we all have."

He went on to say he thinks he is "a better coach for the experience" too.

Potter does not have much time to implement changes to West Ham's play before the FA Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa on Friday and the ex-Brighton manager will take charge of his first training session on Thursday afternoon.

West Ham's technical director Tim Steidten had a difficult relationship with David Moyes and last week kept away from the training ground as speculation over Julen Lopetegui's future intensified.

Potter was asked about whether he will be happy to work with Steidten and although he didn't answer directly, he said that there has to be a "collaborative" approach.

"There'll be lots of talented people, I'm sure," said Potter. "Part of our approach is to be collaborative, to work together. As I said, we need everybody to be pulling in the same direction. We need to be aligned, we need to use the resources we have.

"In the Premier League, there's lots of good players, lots of good coaches.

"So unless you're together, unless you're moving forward together, it becomes very difficult.... and my first impressions for everybody has been really positive."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Stoke City head coach Narcis Pelach has been appointed first-team coach at West Ham United as part of new Hammers' boss Graham Potter's backroom staff.

Pelach was sacked by Stoke on December 27 after just three months in charge during which they won only three of his 19 games at the helm.

"Narcis Pelach is a really young coach who is excellent on the grass, excellent with the players," Potter told his first West Ham news conference, having been confirmed as Julen Lopetegui's replacement.

"We need everyone to be pulling in the same direction, we need to be aligned and using the resources we have."

Pelach had been appointed Stoke head coach in September having held previous assistant roles at Huddersfield Town and Norwich City.

He joins Billy Reid and Bruno Saltor as part of Potter's coaching team at The London Stadium.