West Ham United

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Curley63 asked: Morning Phil. I would like your assessment of West Ham's January transfer activity. While a striker was desperately needed and it's nice to see James Ward-Prowse back, I can't help feeling that we are worryingly short of a decent centre half. Kilman is playing well in an ageing/makeshift back three, but other than that there is Mavropanos, who to me is not Premier League standard and Todibo, who reportedly doesn't want to be at the club!

Phil answered: Potter is most definitely steadying the ship and encouraging academy players. Also I am pleased Steiden has gone after the disaster of last summer!

I certainly accept your point that West Ham might have done more, certainly in defence, but I truly believe they have done a really smart piece of business in bringing in Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton.

He is a genuine talent, still only 20, who has been held back by injuries. He will also enjoy working under Graham Potter again. I also think James Ward-Prowse is another who could flourish under Potter.

I think Tim Steidten's days have been numbered for a while. He had an uneasy relationship with former managers David Moyes and Julen Lopetegui and it is clear Potter will want his own people around him and to move the club forward in his own way.

The Hammers still have a very talented squad, though. Now it is up to Potter to get the best out of them – but I really like that Ferguson deal.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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West Ham have confirmed technical director Tim Steidten's departure, which was inevitable when new manager Graham Potter confirmed Kyle Macaulay had arrived as head of recruitment.

Chairman David Sullivan sided with Steidten in his frosty relationship with former manager David Moyes - withdrawing a contract offer to the Scot, who left London Stadium at the end of last season.

The idea was to let Steidten, who made his name in Germany with Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, oversee a revolution in the way West Ham played, while at the same time maintaining a challenge for European qualification after three successive seasons in Uefa competitions.

But the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as Moyes' replacement raised an eyebrow and while, on paper, a £100m-plus recruitment campaign looked quite good, on the pitch it was shown up to be lacking in speed and quality.

Steidten has been heavily criticised for spending £27m on injury-prone 31-year-old striker Niclas Fullkrug, who has scored two goals in 11 appearances, only five of which have been starts. The Germany international is currently sidelined for an extended period with a hamstring injury.

By the beginning of December, it was a matter of when, not if, Lopetegui was going to be sacked.

Like Moyes, the former Spain boss stopped dealing with Steidten, whose position became untenable once Potter was installed.

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We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Chelsea and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans:

Andrew: Unconvincing. It took Jarrod Bowen's goal to wake Chelsea up. More Chelsea energy in the second half but not much penetration and too many lateral passes. And who would want to buy wantaway Christopher Nkunku after that anonymous cameo? West Ham were unlucky.

Richard: Scraping victory from a deflection is better than another ropey draw. Too many players are not performing to potential - Noni Madueke, Levi Colwill and Enzo Fernandez among them. Why should Nicolas Jackson be an automatic starter after failing to score for so many games? Still, the team deserves credit for the comeback and three points lifts Chelsea back into the top four.

Gary: Good to see a fighting spirit from the Blues - it is not easy to come back from 1-0 down. We remain a work in progress with some weaknesses still evident.

Hector: Same old, same old... Enzo Maresca's stubbornness and dogmatic tactics continue to stifle the natural ability of this young, talented team. The result of his tactics means the players don't know whether to stick or twist, and it shows in their hesitant, no-confidence displays in the past seven games. The number of sideways and backwards passes brought back memories of Thomas Tuchel's pragmatic football. Interestingly, the more Maresca imposes his philosophy, the less the team perform.

West Ham fans:

Kevin: Really good performance from a makeshift team. Lost to a deflected own goal and a missed foul on Bowen. The better team lost.

Harry: Our display was actually very impressive considering we don't have our best players fit right now. Defensively we were brilliant. The first goal shouldn't have stood and that was the only time they really tested our keeper for the whole game - and the second goal was an unlucky deflection. When we have Evan Ferguson, Mohammed Kudus, Crysencio Summerville, Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, James Ward-Prowse and Carlos Soler starting we will be unstoppable. Graham Potter will get us back in Europe next season - 100%. Maybe even this year.

Peter: Very poor refereeing and a dubious VAR call. Referee needs to be much stronger. Moises Caicedo should have been booked on four occasions in the first half. Much more disciplined performance under Potter that fully deserved at least a point from the game. Robbed at Chelsea again!

Ian: Much better and really seeing an improvement under Potter. Clear foul on Bowen for first goal and deflection for second, so a bit unlucky with the result. If Kudus learned to pass occasionally when in the box we might have got an equaliser. With several regular first-team players still out, Bowen made a massive difference and much more positive about the rest of the season now Julen Lopetegui has left. Onwards and upwards!

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The 2-1 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday was West Ham's fourth defeat in their past six Premier League games - as many as in their prior 13 games in the competition.

But head coach Graham Potter will hope the return of Jarrod Bowen will help turn the fortunes around for the struggling Hammers.

Bowen, who made his first appearance after fracturing his foot in a 5-0 home defeat to leaders Liverpool on 29 December, marked his return with a goal that pulled his side ahead in the first half.

Despite missing four league games during that period, he is still their top scorer with six goals and has a further four assists in his bag this season.

Tomas Soucek, with five goals, and Lucas Paqueta, who missed the trip to Chelsea with a groin injury, with four are behind the England international.

With the Hammers also struggling with the absence of attackers Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Michail Antonio, the return of Bowen could give Potter's side a much-needed boost as they look to reverse their dip in form.

They will host Brentford on Saturday followed by a trip to Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal.

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Graham Potter spoke to BBC Match of the Day after West Ham's defeat against Chelsea: "I thought the performance was really good, lots of good things. I thought we were intelligent tactically. We felt a little bit unlucky with the first goal, we thought there might have been a foul leading up to it. Sometimes you need those things to go your way but it wasn't meant to be. We could have nicked a point with Mo and I think we would have deserved that."

Whether VAR should have checked for a foul on Jarrod Bowen: "We think so. You can see the defender has run across Jarrod purposely and blocked him off so for us it's a foul. It's just the referee's decision I guess but we thought it was."

On Jarrod Bowen's performance: "Jarrod Bowen was fantastic, he led the team and it was a proper captain's performance. You see the players that we've got and the spirit there. We can be positive for the future."

On what loanee Evan Ferguson will add to the side: "He's a young player who has an eye for a goal, he can finish, he can link the play. He wants to play football and be part of the team. I think he will fit in with the players we have here."

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With Aaron Wan-Bissaka's first Premier League own goal, West Ham have had more different scorers of own goals in the competition than any other side (42).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of West Ham's display?

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

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Following the arrival of Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton, we asked you to have your say on the deal.

Here are some of your comments:

Rob: We finally have what we have been desperate for - a young, promising striker! We must not obsess over the 'injury-prone' tag. At the end of the day, we were desperate for bodies in that position! Ideally two but... beggars, and all that. You definitely get the feeling there is something in the air at the Irons now. I'm more concerned about stemming issues at the other end of the pitch, in all honesty. Really pleased with where we are now, overall. With Graham Potter, I'm really looking forward to the next couple of years.

Chris: I'm very happy with the Ferguson deal. Potter knows him well and obviously rates him. He was brilliant two seasons ago so he has potential. Plus, it's a no-brainer. If it doesn't work out he goes back to Brighton - but hopefully it's a success and we have a young, promising forward!

Mike: We can only be excited about finally getting a striker in. Premier League pedigree and previously working with Potter means he should settle in very quickly. Slightly concerned about the no option to buy, as if he does well the asking price will rocket. But beggars can't be choosers on deadline day so I'm just relieved we now have a potential goalscorer.

John: He's been very impressive whenever I've seen him so I hope he passes the audition.

Dave: Excellent deal. Especially as it is on a loan basis so we can assess fitness and compatibility over the rest of the season.

James: A good move for Ferguson and West Ham. His Brighton career has stalled and will get much needed game time so a positive result for both sides. He has just got to stay injury free!

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Striker Evan Ferguson feels it is a "big opportunity" after making a loan move to West Ham from Brighton for the rest of the season.

Ferguson made just 15 appearances for the Seagulls this campaign, the majority from the bench, having struggled with injuries over the past 12 months.

"It feels good to be here. Seeing the stadium and being here, I've got a very good feeling," Ferguson said.

"I can see and know how big West Ham United is. It was a big opportunity for me to come here."

"I know the gaffer well and look forward to working under him again."

The 20-year-old reunites with Graham Potter, who he made his debut under at Brighton in February 2022.

"He's got plenty of quality attributes as a striker that we believe will benefit the group over the course of the coming months," said Potter.

"We're excited to integrate him into the squad and see him in action in the weeks to come."

Brighton forward Evan Ferguson has completed a loan move to West Ham United.

The 20-year-old Republic of Ireland international will join the Hammers until the end of the season, having made 15 appearances for Albion this campaign, largely from the bench.

What do you think of this deal, West Ham fans? Have your say

And what about you, Brighton supporters? Let us know

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We asked for your views on James Ward-Prowse's return to West Ham after his loan spell at Nottingham Forest was ended by mutual agreement.

Here are some of your comments:

Andy: Chuffed to bits that JWP is back at West Ham. Should never have gone in the first place. Huge mistake that can now be rectified at last.

Peter: Welcome back, JWP. I think we are better off having him here as not. He has Premier League experience. He knows what's expected of him. Now that he is back, he's available to play. It's another option. Graham Potter might be able to get the best out of him. His dead-ball delivery could be just spot on for Evan Ferguson up front, assuming that deal gets done. Our possession-based style just might suit JWP's attributes better than Moyes' counter-attacking style did.

Mike: It was madness to send him out on loan in the first place. We've lacked midfield creativity because all our central players are naturally defensive-minded. Looking forward to some much better balls delivered from corners and free-kicks. Just hope his confidence hasn't been dented by our rejection of him and sitting on the bench at Forest.

Jon: I like JWP. Everyone appreciates how good his set-piece delivery is, but he moves the ball too slowly for a good Premier League side. He'll do a decent job until the end of the season, as we have struggled getting the balance right this season in the centre of the pitch.

Ian: He's not really what we need at the moment. Just getting bodies in is not enough.

Image source, Getty Images

James Ward-Prowse has returned to West Ham United after the Hammers and Nottingham Forest mutually agreed to end his loan spell at the City Ground.

The midfielder, 30, made 10 appearances for Forest, who thanked Ward-Prowse for his "professionalism and dedication during his time at the club".

West Ham said the return of the former Southampton captain will "add experience, depth and quality to head coach Graham Potter's squad for the second half of the campaign".

Hammers fans - are you happy that Ward-Prowse has returned? Let us know

We asked you what would ensure you are satisfied this deadline day.

Here are some of your comments:

Monty: If we don't sign a striker of a good calibre then it's been a wasted and terrible transfer window. Although Graham Potter has just come in, I can't cut him any slack as he should have got a striker at the start when less teams were rushing. Honestly, it's been terrible waking up every morning and the media not talking about West Ham one bit.

Sam: There's a lot of talk about needing a striker and while one would be ideal, my priority would be the defence and getting Konstantinos Mavropanos out of the starting XI. We have enough goals spread across the team to make do. I certainly wouldn't spend big. We're not going down and we're not getting close to Europe, so Iwould not panic spend to save a season that is already over.

Dave: A centre-back and striker are essential. Don't look abroad, look to the EFL as there is more than enough talent there.

Martin: Because we look unlikely to go down and are out of the cup, I'm not expecting anything more than the striker loan that it looks like we are getting. I think we also need an energetic box-to-box midfielder and I'd even recall James Ward-Prowse if we can't get anyone else. Plus a new centre-back assuming that Potter continues with five at the back.

Jezza: We must sign a forward who is already a Premier League player. Too many imports have proved to be costly mistakes as they are not fit enough for 90 minutes here. We also need a central defender - again another top-flight regular - so Harry Maguire would work nicely. We should have signed him last year!

James: Evan Ferguson would be great. Our forward area clearly needs strengthening with Michael Antonio and others out. It is time to back the manager and maybe trim a few.

It's the last day of the winter transfer window and Premier League clubs have until 23:00 GMT to complete their business.

We'll bring you all the news, views, twists and turns as the clock ticks down to deadline.

Follow it all here

a move for Lorient's 18-year-old French striker Eli Junior Kroupi, who is also being tracked by Chelsea and Tottenham. (Football Insider, external)

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

Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter is back at the Bridge but I don't see it being a happy return for him.

West Ham have actually performed well since Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui, and looked lively, but results have still been mixed.

Chelsea need a new goalkeeper and probably another centre-forward too if they are going to push on but even with what they have, I still think they will be too strong for West Ham.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Let's be realistic.

Instead of setting sights high only for dreams to get dashed, we want to know what the minimum requirement is for West Ham on deadline day.

Be as specific as possible and tell us what will ensure you are satisfied come 23:00 GMT on Monday.

Let us know

West Ham have made an offer worth up to £30m for Lorient's 18-year-old French forward Eli Junior Kroupi. (Football Insider), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport