Graham Potter plotting January raid on former club as West Ham seek defensive reinforcement – report | OneFootball

West Ham United manager Graham Potter is set to raid his former stomping ground in an attempt to sign towering 6ft3 centre-back.

West Ham’s transfer dealings this month has revolved around signing a striker, with Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug sidelined for the foreseeable future.

However, the Hammers are not opposed to strengthening other areas of the squad before the February 3rd deadline if their finances permit.

West Ham have shut out Tim Steidten from their January plans, with the German set to be axed from his role as technical director.

Incoming recruitment analyst and trusted Potter lieutenant Kyle Macaulay is understood to be overseeing the club’s transfer dealings at the moment.

The Hammers are severely depleted in defence, with Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos Potter’s only fit options at the heart of his backline.

The Greek defender has also struggled to impress, so West Ham have decided to invest some of their funds in their faltering backline.

With Potter and Macaulay reunited at West Ham, it was only a matter of time before they plotted to raid their former employers.

According to Jack Rosser, the pair have now identified Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Adam Webster as a concrete target.

West Ham could sign Webster at cut-price deal

Webster has lost his place in Brighton’s starting line-up and is struggling for playing time under Fabian Hurzeler’s leadership.

The towering centre-back has featured just eight times across all competitions this season and has 418 minutes of first-team football under his belt.

The 30-year-old has 18 months left on his contract, so West Ham could secure his signature at a cut-price deal.

Brighton have an option to extend his contract by an additional 12 months, but they’re unlikely to exercise that clause, given the player isn’t in Hurzeler’s long-term plans.

Webster joined Brighton in the summer of 2019 from Bristol City and has made over 145 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals.

He has a wealth of Premier League experience and could still play at the top level for a couple of years.