1. Winning start to pre-season
Up against 27-times Swiss top-flight champions Grasshopper Club Zürich, the Hammers kicked off their pre-season schedule with a 3-1 victory at GC/Campus.
Coming at the end of a week in the Black Forest of southern Germany, Head Coach Graham Potter got 45 minutes each into a full squad of 22 players, building all-important fitness ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
The Hammers dominated throughout in Switzerland, and were only denied more goals by some excellent goalkeeping.
Potter utilised his trusted five-man defence in the opening 45 minutes, which allowed us to dominate possession and ultimately create enough chances to win, while also limiting our Swiss Super League opponents to a small number of low-quality chances.
Then, after the break came a tweak in formation, with West Ham playing a back line of four defenders.
And as stated by Andy Irving at full-time, there were clear signs of the players trying to put Potter’s ideas into practice.
Indeed, it was our No39 who got the Hammers up and running, as his opening goal set the foundation for a 3-1 win, finding the target on 13 minutes with a confident, accurate low left-footed finish into the bottom right-hand corner.
The Irons doubled the advantage within two minutes of the restart via Callum Marshall’s well-taken finish, and despite Grasshopper's Jonathan Asp Jensen pulling one back on 66 minutes, Lucas Paquetá had the final word in the closing stages with a composed spot-kick to make sure of victory for the Irons.
2. Diouf impresses on debut
El Hadji Malick Diouf, who joined the Hammers from Slavia Prague on Tuesday, showcased the class he possesses with driving runs up and down the left flank at GC/Campus.
The Senegalese left-sided full-back or wing-back was introduced as a half-time substitute, and he wasted little time in impressing, using his pace, power and energy to get the better of full-back Allan Arigoni down the left flank, and offering a different dimension in the Hammers’ attack.
It was a hugely impressive first West Ham display from ‘Malick’, that offered a tantalising flavour of what is to come in Claret and Blue, and our new No12 was unlucky not to score, when he saw his header cleared off the line, or have an assist to his name.
He kept whipping the ball into the Grasshopper box, with Tomáš Souček unable to force the ball home from point-blank range on the hour mark.
A superb first outing from Diouf, that has left everyone associated with West Ham excited about what’s to come.
3. Academy players take their chances
It was another memorable moment for West Ham United’s famed Academy, as Callum Marshall for the first time with the first team at GC/Campus.
Glengormley-born Marshall, who joined the Club’s Academy in 2022 from NIFL Premiership side Linfield, is now impressing Potter, having been part of the first-team squad since returning from his loan spell at League One side Huddersfield Town, where he was named the Terriers' Player of the Year for the 2024/25 season, and racked up ten goals and four assists in 46 appearances.
The 20-year-old was part of the second-half XI in Zürich, and made his mark almost immediately.
Within two minutes, he latched onto Lucas Paquetá’s clever flick, and with just Justin Hammel to beat, the youngster kept his cool and finished confidently into the bottom corner.
He’s just one youngster taking centre stage in pre-season, however, with Lewis Orford and Freddie Potts also stepping up.
Similarly to Marshall, both came off the bench at half-time, and the pair showed composure on the ball, and their eye for a pass makes them the ideal model of a player that fits within a Potter system.
Orford, who made his Premier League bow against Crystal Palace in January, particularly impressed, making a number of lung-busting runs in behind the Grasshopper defence, while also showcasing different passing techniques, from lofting the ball to cross-field passes.
Callum Marshall with our second strike 🎯 pic.twitter.com/lCd93aMUBG
— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 19, 2025
4. Irving gets West Ham up and running (again)
For the second consecutive pre-season in succession, Andy Irving gave us lift-off in pre-season.
The Scotland international announced his arrival at the Club with the winner at Dagenham & Redbridge almost a year ago to the day, and he was at it again at GC/Campus.
Our Portobello Pirlo found the target inside 13 minutes, firing into the bottom right corner, having been picked out by Jarrod Bowen, and his goal capped an impressive first-half performance from our No39.
Irving was the Hammers’ hub in possession in Zürich, keeping the ball, starting plays, operating at the base of midfield or in smaller pockets of space, and having made ten Premier League appearances last season, he will hope to use it as a springboard for further success this season under Potter.
5. Fantastic backing from the Claret and Blue Army
Despite the match being played at a 1,500-capacity stadium at Grasshopper's training complex, a strong travelling contingent of the Claret and Blue Army made themselves heard in Zürich, with supporters coming from all over Europe.
Potter's men put in a controlled and ultimately winning performance in Switzerland, in what was a useful first workout of pre-season before heading to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series next week.
The Hammers will join Manchester United. Everton and AFC Bournemouth for a four-team pre-season tournament, and will be backed by a large and loud support in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta respectively.
