Grant McCann urges Keane Lewis-Potter against potential West Ham switch
Hull City manager Grant McCann has warned reported West Ham target Keane Lewis-Potter against making a switch to the Premier League.
The Tigers forward has been a bright spark for his side since permanently breaking through into the first team in the 2019/20 campaign. Since then, the 20-year-old has made 90 appearances for Hull, consistently proving to be one of the side’s standout performers.
TeamTalk previously reported the Hammers’ interest in the player following a strong start to the 2021/22 Championship season, although his current boss McCann has advised his man against making a move to the London Stadium in January.
“We feel that he’s learning and developing here, and the last thing Keano probably (needs) at the present time in his career (is) to go somewhere and not play football,” he argued.
“He’s playing every single week in the Championship, he’s getting better all the time,” the Hull manager concluded.
Following in Bowen’s footsteps?
Of course, a manager who so desperately relies on such a powerfully creative threat will always deter his player from switching allegiances.
Lewis-Potter has been integral to the Tigers for some time. 19 League One goal contributions in League One last term helped his side to promotion, while two goals and three assists in the Championship already this season (Transfermarkt) is the highlight of what looks to be becoming a dark and dreary campaign for Hull.
At 20, there is vast room for growth and development to his an already generally scintillating game. He seems destined for the Premier League, at some time or another.
And, should he decide to make the step up sooner rather than later, he can take comfort in the fact that West Ham has an established culture of helping players progress.
The likes Michail Antonio and Declan Rice have been developed into special players in recent years, while Jarrod Bowen is living proof that a step up from the second tier can blossom into a wise career choice.
Also at Hull, Bowen was snapped up by the Hammers in 2020 for over £20m (BBC) after becoming one of the shining lights in the Championship. Now an established West Ham starter and consistently efficient forward, he’s been linked with a move to Liverpool and is banging on Gareth Southgate’s door.
McCann is right in saying he won’t play as much, that’s a given. But there is absolutely no reason for Lewis-Potter to reject a move to West Ham if he’s worried about stifling his fledgling career. The opposite has proven to be, and will be, true.
In other West Ham news, Daniel Kretinsky is set to complete his investment in the Hammers within the next few days.