The 5 best controlling midfielders for Graham Potter to sign for West Ham | OneFootball

It's time for West Ham to inject some real quality on the ball in the middle of the park. Too often, this season, West Ham have been overwhelmed in possession by the opposition, unable to progress play effectively to what is honestly a decently talented front line.

The Hammers have to upgrade their midfield if they want to have some semblance of control on games and an ability to grab ahold of the match, because for them to get back into the top half of the Premier League table, they are going to actually need to play on the front foot under Graham Potter.

Here are five midfielders West Ham could sign in the summer 2025 transfer window in order to bring some more control into their play.

Angelo Stiller, Stuttgart

So many big clubs have become wise the quality of one of Stuttgart's breakout stars, Angelo Stiller, and that includes former German national team manager Hansi Flick at Barcelona.

Stiller first broke out in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season to help lead Die Schwaben to the Champions League, and he's been just as good this season with Stuttgart still in the Champions League hunt this season despite losing two crucial players to Borussia Dortmund this past summer.

The 23-year-old has 5 assists, 1.6 key passes per game, and 1.4 fouls drawn per contest while playing excellent defense. Stiller is one of the best and most underrated defensive midfielders in the game, and he has the passing quality to be a legitimate anchoring point for West Ham, unlike Edson Alvarez, for example.

Dani Ceballos, Real Madrid

Nobody knows if or when Dani Ceballos is going to leave Real Madrid to spread his wings elsewhere, and whlile he wasn't exactly a rousing success in his previous stint in the Premier League with Arsenal, the Gunners didn't really know how to use him, nor would he be under as much pressure at West Ham.

Looking at how well Lucas Paqueta has been taken in by the fans, West Ham supporters appreciate a fighter with technical flair and an eye to be brave, because, well, the Hammers don't have many midfielders with technical quality and courage on the ball.

Ceballos is even better than Paqueta as a motor in midfield, and he's been proven at the Champions League level in the late stages of crucial knockout ties for Real Madrid. If he's willing to spread his wings beyond LaLiga, which is honestly not that likely, West Ham have to be dialing up the phone for him.

Nicolo Rovella, Lazio

A standout prospect for Juventus and one of many talented young midfielders the fallen giants of Italy foolishly cast aside, Nicolo Rovella parlayed his promising years at Genoa and Monza into becoming one of the most important starters for another big club in Serie A, Lazio.

Rovella is at the peak of his powers in 2025 and is one of the best overall midfielders in Serie A. He is legitimately defending and controlling the ball at a borderline world-class level. Rovella has developed a mean streak in midfield to go with his accurate, progressive passing, and there may not be a better fit for West Ham when combining his skill-set, their needs, and his future contributions at the age of 23.

Aleix Garcia, Bayer Leverkusen

Aleix Garcia first led Girona to success in LaLiga, and he is now competing for the Bundesliga title as a key cog in the wheel in Xabi Alonso's side, making good use of his first real opportunity in the European ilmelight.

A much more talented option on the ball with a high Spanish footballing pedigree than 2024 free agent signing Guido Rodriguez, Garcia may be even less inclined to make the move to West Ham than Rovella at Lazio, but he could be more realistic than Dani Ceballos if West Ham are willing to offer Garcia both an important role and an important wage.

Garcia isn't a young player anymore, but he is still well within his prime years at 27. He can produce goals and assists from out of nowhere, which he proved at Girona, and is a nearly flawless passer with arguably the second-best defensive chops on this list after Rovella.

Manuel Locatelli, Juventus

Another unlikely but not impossible signing, Manuel Locatelli should be arguably the best controlling midfielder in European football and certainly one of the best midfielders in Serie A. He was arguably the best midfielder in the league back in 2020/21 for Sassuolo before moving to Juventus - a transfer that has set his career back.

At times under Max Allegri, Locatelli looked like an evolved version of the burgeoning world-class Italian talent he was in Sassuolo, but the former Neroverdi leader has now become an afterthought after Thiago Motta's reign of terror.

Juventus probably aren't going to sell players with talent amidst another managerial and system transition, but you can't rule out anything foolish from this club. West Ham need to watch Locatelli's situation closely, because they could get almost the perfect leader and technical talent who checks off all the boxes athletically if Juve decide to give up on the 27-year-old in his prime years.