West Ham have endured a difficult campaign at the London Stadium and a lot of their issues this season can be attributed to their failures in the transfer market last summer, where the Hammers flirted with big names but failed to secure deals for top-targets.

The likes of Alexandre Lacazette were heavily linked to West Ham last summer and the Hammers spent a lot of time negotiating a deal for the French forward, only to see their advances fall on deaf ears- which left the club running out of time and empty-handed.

In the end, loan moves were made for Jonathan Calleri and Simeone Zaza, both of which have failed to shine at West Ham this season, and the lessons learned from last summer have led Slaven Bilic to change his approach ahead of the close-season.

Quoted by The Daily Mail, the Croatian boss said:

‘We are not looking at that level, take out those. We are not looking for the Griezmanns. We know it’s out of our range to get them. We would like them but we are realistic. Last year we tried to do something like that. We were in talks with Lacazette, and maybe we spent too much time hoping.’

‘The board really tried and then it did not happen – and as a result we missed out on some of our number two and number three choices. Our shopping list this time is not similar to United or to Chelsea or Liverpool’s.’

Whilst that may be a disappointment to West Ham fans hoping to sign big names like Daniel Sturridge or Michy Batshuayi this summer, it’s easy to see why the Hammers have changed their approach as last summer’s failed moves were certainly not healthy.

Big names don’t always guarantee success either and West Ham can’t really afford to spend big on a transfer target that fails to make the grade in the Premier League, so sticking to proven players within British football would be a safer option.

That’s not to say major moves won’t happen this summer but sticking to a domestic transfer approach could aid West Ham significantly, especially as there is plenty of top-quality players ready to be prized from rival sides.

The lure of West Ham and their project at the London Stadium would be difficult for players to turn down, especially if they come from mid-table or lower-end Premier League sides, and Bilic could find some gems.

If he was to venture for big names on the continent, transfer activity from the likes of Chelsea and both Manchester clubs this summer would drive up the asking price for a lot of players- which wouldn’t be good for the Hammers.