West Ham: Graham Potter leaves door open to new signing amid centre-back shortage

Graham Potter has near the doorway unfastened to the anticipation of West Ham signing a caller centre-back this month.

The Hammers caput manager bemoaned the club’s shortage of options successful cardinal defence.

West Ham are already successful the marketplace for a striker successful January, and caller manager Potter was incapable to regularisation retired a centre-back besides being targeted.

“We’ve got a fewer challenges to fix, but that’s usually wherefore you extremity up astatine a shot nine successful January: due to the fact that there’s things to do,” helium explained.

“We’ve got immoderate options determination internally. And then, of course, we’re ever looking for options to assistance the team.

“JC [Todibo] is going to beryllium a portion earlier helium comes back, truthful there’s nary contiguous solution there. It’s a calf strain and lower-limb issue. He’s going to beryllium a spot of clip yet. We person to look for what we have.”

Potter praised Palace for their show astatine the London Stadium and lamented his side’s “leggy” display.

“I deliberation Crystal Palace played well, they deserved to win,” helium admitted. “We were a small spot passive and looked a spot leggy. We were incapable to prolong agelong capable attacks.

“We’ve got to judge the information we’re trying to instrumentality immoderate caller things.”

A triple substitution connected 56 minutes saw Potter manus 18-year-old midfielder Lewis Orford his elder debut successful midfield, portion Ollie Scarles came connected astatine left-back, having been handed his archetypal home commencement successful Potter’s opening crippled successful charge.

“I thought helium was good; neat and tidy,” Potter said of Orford.“He’s impressed successful training. Everybody astatine the nine is speaking precise highly of him. I deliberation him and Ollie were positives. On a time erstwhile determination weren’t precise many, we’ll person to instrumentality with those.”