West Ham struggled last season after a top-half finish the year before. After a busy summer, what can we expect from Slaven Bilic’s side in 2017-18?
INS: Marko Arnautovic (£25 million, Stoke), Javier Hernandez (£16 million, Bayer Leverkusen), Joe Hart (loan, Manchester City), Pablo Zabaleta (free, Manchester City)
OUTS: Stephen Hendrie (free, Southern United), Havard Nordtveit (undisclosed, Hoffenheim), Darren Randolph (£5 million, Middlesbrough), Enner Valencia (undisclosed, Tigres)
THE STORY: After an inspiring seventh-place finish two years ago, expectations at West Ham soared as the club began a new season in a new stadium in 2016-17. But the campaign was a big disappointment, as the Hammers lost their best player, Dimitri Payet, struggled in their new home and limped to an 11th-place finish.
In addition to the Payet debacle, West Ham’s season was ravaged by injuries. Striker Andy Carroll only appeared in 18 matches, while then-club-record signing Andre Ayew played in 25. After acquiring a meager 45 points, the owners have been proactive this summer, throwing money at Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic, and bringing in Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta from Manchester City.
West Ham have a talented squad that should be competing for Europa League qualification, but manager Slaven Bilic struggled to get the best out of his players last season. His biggest task this year will be settling on a system that best incorporates the news signings.
When Carroll is fit and starting, the Hammers are a much better team, but will Bilic adjust his approach to partner Chicharito with the Englishmen? Those two could be a dangerous combination in a 4-4-2, but where would that leave Marko Arnautovic, Andre Ayew and Manuel Lanzini, the most talented member of last season’s squad?
Bilic also dabbled, like much of the rest of the Premier League, with a back three last season, though a similar approach this time around would either leave two of Carroll, Arnautovic, Chicharito, Ayew and Lanzini on the bench, or one of them at wing-back. These are nice problems to have, especially for a side that was undermined by injuries last season, but it’s unclear how the pieces all fit together. Figuring that out will be Bilic’s biggest challenge early on.
While the new signings certainly strengthen the squad in the short-term, they’re all either over or approaching the age of the 30, and they join what’s already an aging team. Of the 17 outfield players to start over 10 games last season, 12 were 27 or older. That’s not necessarily a problem right now, but there a legitimate questions about what the long-term approach is. For a side that has aspirations of cracking into the top six, that’s not a great position to be in.
Finally, perhaps the big priority this season, besides a return to the top half of the table, will be making the London Stadium feel like home. The Hammers struggled there last year, and were routinely one of the most boring teams to watch in the league. With better injury luck and some exciting new signings — Arnautovic in particular will be fun to watch — there should be more for fans to cheer about. If there isn’t, Bilic may very soon be out of a job.
KEY PLAYERS: Lanzini is probably the most intriguing player in the team. The Argentine, still only 24, was comfortably West Ham’s most exciting player last season, and his creative talents will be key to unlocking the goalscoring capability of a new and improved collection of forwards.
Speaking of which, Chicharito and Arnautovic will also be vital to the team’s season. The former averaged over a goal every two games for Bayer Leverkusen, the sort of production the Hammers severely lacked last season. As for Arnautovic, he was often his team’s only reliable attacking outlet at Stoke, and should thrive with more help. He’s capable of scoring or assisting in double-digits if Bilic can find the right balance between his attackers.
Finally, a defense that conceded the sixth-most goals in the division last season needs to be better. Hart has a lot to prove on his return to the Premier League, especially in a World Cup year, while Winston Reid and Jose Fonte will be crucial at the center of defense.
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THE MANAGER: Bilic was in some ways a victim of his own success last season. His first year in charge, West Ham’s last at Upton Park, went better than even the most optimistic fans would’ve expected. That owed much, of course, to the performances of Payet, and it would be unfair to blame Bilic for Payet’s decision to leave last season.
Taken together, Payet’s departure, the move to the new stadium and some terrible luck with injuries are enough, just about, to give Bilic the benefit of the doubt. Last season was always going to be a little strange for the Hammers, and while 11th place was certainly a disappointment, it wasn’t a disaster.
But Bilic enters 2017-18 with a lot to prove. His team must be better defensively, particularly when they have a lead, and a lack of reliable goalscorers isn’t going to be a convincing excuse given the signings this summer.
The Croatian will also need to decide how he wants his team to play. The Hammers lacked any clear identity last season in the absence of Payet. Lanzini, Carroll and Michail Antonio all provided occasional moments of quality, but the team as a whole was disjointed.
West Ham have the individual quality to beat most of the teams in the bottom half, but it’s down to Bilic to ensure they start adding up to more than the sum of their parts.
BEST CASE: Arnautovic and Chicharito settle quickly, West Ham’s attack clicks and they unseat Everton to finish seventh.
WORST CASE: The new signings disappoint, Lanzini takes a step backward, creating a huge hole in their attack. Bilic loses his job and West Ham again finish below 10th.