Graham Potter confirmed in the build up to West Ham United vs Crystal Palace at the London Stadium that both Callum Wilson and Niclas Fullkrug should be in contention to start.
Wilson was surprisingly benched against Tottenham last time out. But, in what could be Graham Potter’s last stand with Nuno Espirito Santo waiting in the wings, a belated full West Ham United debut could come the way of their 33-year-old summer signing.
Potter confirms that Fullkrug is available too having recovered fully from the calf injury he suffered on international duty.
Yet, there is another striker at West Ham’s disposal for whom first-team minutes remain elusive. Bafflingly so, in the eyes of some supporters.
And after watching Callum Marshall speed away from the backline and rifle an emphatic first-time finish into the Birmingham City net – Mark Robson’s Under-21 side cruised to a 3-0 win on Friday night – it wasn’t just the 20-year-old centre-forward who was sending a message to the Hammers head coach.
West Ham United fans urge Graham Potter to give Callum Marshall a chance
What more must he do, the West Ham supporters wonder, to force his way into the senior set-up.
Callum Marshall was happy enough to drop down to the Under-21 squad in order to get the minutes he feels he needs. That Birmingham rocket came just three days after he hit a brilliant brace in the 5-1 EFL Trophy thrashing of MK Dons.
But after Marshall won Huddersfield’s Young Player of the Year award in League One last season, the feeling is that he, alongside Freddie Potts and George Earthy, are being wasted back in the reserves.
“Marshall is a goal machine yet does not even get a look in for the first team,” one fan wrote on X after the Northern Ireland international took his weekly tally to three. “Ridiculous.”
“Seriously, what more has Marshall gotta do to start getting some game time in the first-team,” another agrees. “We are crying out for a striker!”
“Well, that’s likely Marshall not playing in the first team tomorrow.”
“He should be on the bench at a minimum.”
“Can we just stop [messing] about and start these lads at the weekend?”
“We are all desperate to see him start in the Premier League for us. I hope it’s soon.”
“Hopefully the next manager can get this fella playing regularly in the first team.”
Potter explains the lack of Premier League minutes for Freddie Potts and co
That final supporters ‘next manager’ claim comes after Nuno Espirito Santo was spotted near David Sullivan’s Essex residence on Friday.
Coincidence or not, Hammers News can confirm that vice-chair Karren Brady held talks with Nuno this week, the former Nottingham Forest manager keen to get back into work at the earliest opportunity.
Graham Potter, then, appears to be a man hanging by a thread. The lack of minutes afforded to the club’s brightest young talent has certainly not boosted his popularity in the eyes of the fans, though Potter explained the problems facing Freddie Potts and co this week.
The head coach is wary of throwing his youngsters in at the deep end, when the atmosphere is toxic and the pressure for results is bordering on the crushing.
“Freddie has had a really positive journey so far with the academy, with the loans,” Potter said of Potts who, like Marshall, had a loan spell in the EFL last season with Portsmouth.
“It’s his first season back with us, in terms of the first-team. In pre-season, he did well. We know his qualities. He has to work hard with the team, the players, for this opportunity.
“The Premier League is a competitive league. So of course we want to integrate players. l look at my previous record, [giving youth a chance] is something I am very proud of. But you have to do it at the right time for the club, the team, and the individual.”
Alongside Potts, Marshall was one of the standout performers in pre-season. Some West Ham supporters even likened Marshall to Jamie Vardy after witnessing his razor-sharp finishing and ferocious intensity in action.
