Football Season Guide

West Ham United

In


Out


Declan Rice (k) (mid) Arsenal; Arthur Masuaku (sp) (def) Besiktas; Manuel Lanzini (sp) (att) released; Gianluca Scamacca (sp) (att) Atalanta

West Ham came into the 2022/23 season with high hopes, having finished seventh and sixth in the previous two campaigns. However, David Moyes came under scrutiny on several occasions, as the team failed to deliver. The Scottish coach’s future was up in the air midway through the season, but his team’s Conference League run persuaded the club to place their confidence in him. West Ham didn’t impress, but they avoided relegation and won the European competition to secure Europa League football for next season. The Hammers were dealt a huge blow in offseason, as franchise player Declan Rice departed the team to join city rivals Arsenal. Despite Rice being an important cog in West Ham’s machine, the club have yet to sign a replacement. In fact, West Ham are the only Premier League team to have yet to make a signing in the summer. Despite the departure of Rice and a couple of fringe players, Moyes have managed to keep his team’s spine intact. The experienced coach enjoys working with a tight squad and although his team struggled last term, the previous two seasons he put together compact sides which managed to look the Big-6 in the eye. Despite the Hammers’ issues last season, their main strength lies in Moyes’ philosophy. In a season where nothing went his way, Moyes led the team all the way to a European final by inspiring his players to stick to the plan, work hard and operate as a team. West Ham may struggle in attack again this season. Last term they netted just 42 goals, with summer signing Gianluca Scamacca - who joined Atalanta - failing to adapt to Moyes’ tactics and January signing Danny Ings being their top scorer, chipping in with eight goals.

Target


The Hammers need to strengthen their team and add depth in order to push for a top-seven spot. This should be their objective, but achieving it won’t be an easy task.