West Ham have enjoyed a fine transfer window so far and their business caught the eye of everyone last week, as the Hammers added Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez to their squad- after landing Pablo Zabaleta early on in the transfer window.
Those arrivals should help the Hammers deal with the wealth of issues they encountered last term, where Slaven Bilic’s side struggled to excel in attack and flirted with relegation before turning their form around towards the back-end of the campaign.
West Ham will now be hoping for better fortune as they prepare for their second season at the London Stadium but there may be some concerns that the Hammers seem to have changed their approach to the transfer window, focusing on the immediate future rather than the long-term.
Whilst that should provide improvements this season, it raises issues moving forward in the coming years as their new recruits will need to be replaced as they age- but co-chairman David Sullivan suggested yesterday that his side will now look to add one or two younger players with the future in mind.
Considering their issues in attack last season, West Ham should certainly look to avoid putting all their eggs in Javier Hernandez’ basket as too much reliance on the experienced Mexican striker could be problematic- so a move for a younger forward should be a priority.
West Ham were linked with the likes of Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi earlier on in the summer but those moves seem to be off the table- and a better opportunity can be found north of the border.
The Daily Express states West Ham are the Premier League side pushing the hardest for the signature of Celtic ace Moussa Dembele, who scored an incredible 32 goals in 49 appearances during his debut season at Celtic Park.
Interest in Dembele is high, with French outfit Marseille recently making an advance, and there’s a growing concern that the 21-year-old could jump ship this summer- although he’s likely to stay-put if the Bhoys advance through their European qualifiers and secure a spot in the group stage of the Champions League.
Whilst sides like Marseille and AC Milan may be able to offer continental football, West Ham will give Dembele the chance to make an impression in the Premier League and become the leading man in East London- potentially establishing himself as the focal figure in West Ham’s push towards success.