Graham Potter refuses to be drawn on Evan Ferguson links to West Ham

POTTER ADMIRATION: Evan Ferguson has been linked with a move to West Ham. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire.

West Ham's search for a new striker has intensified with Niclas Fullkrug facing a long spell on the sidelines.

The Germany international suffered a hamstring injury in the FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa on Friday in new boss Graham Potter's first match in charge.

"It's fair to say it's a significant one," said Potter. "Anybody watching the game, when a player pulls up like that you know that something fairly serious has happened.

"So it's still early in terms of full diagnosis I would suggest, but nevertheless a significant one, a number of weeks.

"Will it be months? A number of weeks probably adds up to months, yes. So yeah, I would say that."

The Hammers are already without captain Jarrod Bowen, who has a fractured foot, while fellow frontman Michail Antonio is recovering from the serious injuries he sustained in a car crash before Christmas. Danny Ings came on at Villa Park but the 32-year-old is short of match fitness.

Potter is an admirer of Evan Ferguson - he gave the Bettystown native his debut when they were together at Brighton - while more fanciful reports have even linked the club Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.

On a potential loan move for 20-year-old Ferguson, Potter said: "He's a player, that's not a West Ham player, and until he's a West Ham player I won't speak about anybody.

"We've got enough good players here and they're my focus at the moment."

Potter has been stung by an over-ambitious transfer strategy before, however, when his previous club Chelsea splurged £300million in January 2023. He was sacked three months later.

So the 49-year-old is understandably cautious about bringing in new recruits just for the sake of it.

"I wouldn't say it's imperative," he added. "Obviously with the situation with Mich as well, there's certainly a logical rationale to do something, but again it's not quite as simple as that.

"So I wouldn't want to make the wrong decision or do something for the sake of it just because there's a need, especially in this window which is very complicated.

"But we've got some attacking options and there's players coming back as well, so my focus at the moment is on the team and on how to get the team to function as well as possible, with a view to being competitive and trying to win against Fulham."

Meanwhile, Ferguson’s fellow Ireland striker Tom Cannon has piqued the interest of his new Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman – who headhunted Cork native Brian Barry-Murphy as his assistant when appointed four weeks ago – is watching with interest Cannon blaze a trail on loan in the Championship.

His haul for the season increased to 11 goals by scoring in Stoke City’s FA Cup win over Sunderland on Saturday.

Sunderland’s promotion-chasing rivals Sheffield United are leading the charge to recruit Cannon during this January transfer window, likely as an initial loan with obligation to buy in the summer.

“He’s definitely one on the list for us,” van Nistelrooy said of Cannon, who made his Ireland debut in last June’s friendly against Portugal.

“We keep a close eye on him like we do with all the boys who are on loan.

“Tom’s situation is closely assessed. There are decisions to be made on that. It’s still a possibility (he stays at Stoke). But we’re looking in this window at his situation, what would be best for him and for the club.”

Leicester splashed out £7.5m to Everton for Cannon in August 2023 but injuries and competition have conspired against him making an impact with the Foxes.

As Jamie Vardy, Patson Daka and on-loan forward Odsonne Edouard are ahead of him in the pecking order, he’s likely to be offloaded at a profit for Leicester, and the option of joining a club heading for the Premier League – likely swapping places with his current club – is the desired move by the 22-year-old.

Liverpool-born Cannon parked his international allegiance for 12 months amid interest from England’s U21s but is now all in with Ireland.

He’s seen as very much part of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s plans for a year that begins with a Nations League playoff against Bulgaria in March and concludes with six World Cup qualifiers between September and November.