Hammers begin pre-season with victory

Graham Potter enjoyed a positive start to West Ham’s pre-season preparations with a win against Grasshopper Zurich in Switzerland.

On a wet afternoon at their opponents' training complex, goals from Andy Irving, Callum Marshall & a Lucas Paqueta penalty helped the East London outfit to a 3-1 win.

A win in Zürich 😄 pic.twitter.com/4pT1yM9UX7

— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 19, 2025

The friendly also saw El Hadji Malick Diouf, the recent capture from Slavia Prague, in action for the first time at left-back, as well as the return of both Nayef Aguerd and Maxwell Cornet following season-long loans at Real Sociedad and Genoa, respectively.

Young Hammers

20-year-old Callum Marshall got himself on the scoresheet for West Ham’s second goal, just minutes after coming on. The Northern Ireland international comes off the back of a successful loan spell with Huddersfield Town throughout the 2024/25 season, in which he was voted player of the season.

Several other youth prospects were re-joining after a season away from the club, including the likes of Freddie Potts and Lewis Orford, both of who are hoping to work their way into Potter's plans.

Positive Camp

With West Ham likely to announce the signing of free agent Kyle Walker-Peters in the coming days, Graham Potter spoke of a positive week as the team tries to build much-needed momentum following a difficult 24/25 campaign.

He told whufc.com, "From a fitness perspective, from a tactical perspective, it was a really good day. This camp was a good time to work with the players. A good time to build fitness, to build understanding of the team, and to build a connection with the group. I think we've managed that well. Everybody has worked really hard; the staff have been great. It's been a really positive week."

West Ham head off to the USA this coming week for matches against Manchester United and Everton.