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EPL Graham Potter wants to strengthen West Ham United’s midfield this summer — defeat to Newcastle United on Monday night gave him plenty of reasons to make it a priority. The midfield trio of Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse were ineffective in the 1-0 loss. Soucek squandered a great chance in the opening minute and Alvarez was substituted after the hour mark following a frustrating night. He occasionally found himself in good attacking areas, but his offensive limitations were highlighted as he struggled to carve out opportunities for captain Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus. Advertisement Ward-Prowse has slotted in well since returning from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest. Potter values the ex-Southampton captain, but seldom did he use his passing ability to good effect against Newcastle (highlighted by his lack of connections to West Ham’s attacking players in their passing network below). Potter brought on Carlos Soler, who is on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but his performances are akin to a rosebud that has never properly flowered. It is why West Ham have no intention of converting his loan into a permanent deal this summer. After all, the midfielder has a paltry return of one goal and one assist in 23 league appearances. Newcastle’s midfield three, however, comprised the indefatigable Joelinton, the combative Sandro Tonali, and match-winner Bruno Guimaraes. They were equipped to unlock an extra gear in Newcastle’s attack, often spearheaded by Guimaraes — while West Ham would be remiss at not identifying a midfielder who could produce an authoritative performance like Tonali. Their list of summer targets includes Lille midfielder Angel Gomes. Now 24 and an England international, Gomes left Manchester United as an inexperienced youngster in August 2020. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season and he is keen for a return to the Premier League. He made his England debut in September against the Republic of Ireland and has earned four caps. Gomes plays in a deep-lying playmaker role for Lille. He has registered two goals and one assist across 20 appearances this season. In the 2023-24 campaign, he showcased his creativity by amassing eight assists across 31 Ligue 1 appearances. In an interview with The Athletic in 2023, he outlined how he can play in various midfield positions, but during a recent interview with L’Equipe, he explained why he enjoys providing for his team-mates. Advertisement “Don’t get me wrong, I like to score goals, ” he said. “It’s a great feeling, but I prefer an assist because behind an assist, there is a lot of thinking. It is very precise. Sometimes it seems simple, but when you’re on the pitch, you understand the difficulty in finding the right angle, the right timing. I like this kind of work, the calculation behind it. That’s the story of my game. ” From a West Ham perspective, the only real highlight from the match was Michail Antonio’s visit to the London Stadium. He received a warm reception from fans as he was presented on the pitch three months after his car crash. But after fans applauded a club legend, their mood shifted to frustration due to the ponderous display. Potter named an unchanged XI for the third consecutive game, but there was no understanding in the centre of the field. West Ham’s midfield options are Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Soler, Andy Irving, Lucas Paqueta, Lewis Orford and Guido Rodriguez. Irving was not in the matchday squad against Newcastle, Paqueta returned to the bench having missed victories against Arsenal and Leicester City with an ankle injury, Orford, who made his first-team debut against Crystal Palace in January, has mainly featured for the under-21s, while Rodriguez has been an unused substitute in West Ham’s last seven games. Aside from identifying Gomes as a potential No 6, Potter needs a midfielder capable of scoring five or more goals a season. Soucek has achieved this in four of his five seasons at West Ham. Paqueta scored five goals in his debut season in 2022-23, eight the following campaign and has five this term. Ward-Prowse’s set-piece threat is well known, but he has not scored a direct free kick for two years. Previously, West Ham could call on goalscoring midfielders Kevin Nolan, now the Northampton Town manager, Mark Noble, the club legend and sporting director, and, to a lesser degree, Declan Rice. Nolan brimmed with confidence at driving forward, Noble’s composure on penalties was key, and Rice showed signs of developing into a box-to-box midfielder. Advertisement The Arsenal and Leicester wins masked the need for midfield reinforcements. A summer rebuild is required, even after an expenditure of over £120million ($155m) last year. “I apologise if things aren’t happening quicker than we want them to be, but when you see the players give everything, that (commitment) is there, ” Potter told West Ham’s website after the game. “James Ward-Prowse was fantastic, covering such an amount of ground, Tomas and Edson are working hard and Ollie Scarles was (out) on his feet at the end. “Players are giving everything, so that’s a real strong starting point, a strong foundation. We need that. Today’s a sore one because we wanted to get something from the game, but that’s life sometimes. ” (Top photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images) Roshane Thomas is a staff writer who covers West Ham United for The Athletic. Previously, he worked for the Sunday Times and talk SPORT. Follow Roshane on Twitter @Roshane Sport