Ex-West Ham striker Tony Cottee has questioned Graham Potter’s decision not to start Callum Wilson against Tottenham last weekend.

The Hammers went with a front three of Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and Lucas Paqueta as the false nine on Saturday, and Cottee says Wilson should be asking questions about his omission, having scored in his previous appearance for the club:

“If I was Callum Wilson, I would be banging the door down. Because he came on at Forest and made the difference. The manager, to be fair, started with Summerville. But to go into a home game without a centre-forward, I don’t get it. You’ve got Fullkrug and Callum Wilson on the bench, and surely Callum, after scoring against Forest, quite rightly [must be] knocking on the door saying; ‘Gaffer, why didn’t you play me?’.”

“I don’t understand that. Perhaps he should have gone with the team that finished at Forest. It [creates] a bit of negativity in the crowd. I’m sitting there in the pub when the team comes out and saying; ‘Oh, they’re not playing with a centre-forward!’.”

Potter’s decision-making is being called into question

Cottee is not the only pundit who has been questioning the manager’s decisions. On BBC‘s Match of the Day, Ashley Williams said that Potter looked “baffled” on the sidelines during the defeat to Spurs.

There are growing doubts over whether the former Brighton and Chelsea head coach has what it takes to improve the team’s position in the table.

West Ham need a striker against Crystal Palace

The Irons will be facing a back three this weekend, and fans will be up in arms if Potter doesn’t pick a no.9 to lead the line.

Niclas Fullkrug does have his fitness problems, so it could be a chance for Wilson to get his first start since his move from Newcastle in the summer.

Read more about the West Ham First Team Squad for 2025/26 here