West Ham face a testing summer ahead as they look to bounce back from a disappointing debut season at the London Stadium and the Hammers desperately need to improve their ranks during the transfer window.

The Hammers activity a year ago was incredibly disappointing and has been under scrutiny in the last few months, following an array of injury issues and the struggles new recruits have found when trying to settle in East London.

A major squad overhaul is set to take place this summer and the talk behind the scenes has been accepting that new faces need to be brought in, with Director of Player Recruitment Tony Henry telling the club’s official website two or three new faces need to be signed.

“We need two or three, maximum. If we can get the ones that we want, I think we’ll be a really good team next year.”

West Ham need to improve their defence, particularly in the wide areas, need a reliable striker and also need to replace the huge loss they experienced in January when Dimitri Payet forced a return to Marseille- which raises questions as to whether two or three players is enough.

Speculation suggests Pablo Zabaleta will be the first to arrive through the door, as he’s set to leave Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and the Hammers continue to be linked to the likes of Jermain Defoe and Michy Batshuayi in attacking areas.

With the futures of Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini secured, with the former penning a new deal whilst Lanzini has played down the possibility of an exit, the Hammers’ summer has started brightly- but there’s still a lot to be done.

Considering West Ham’s issues in attack, more than one striker may be necessary this summer and that would quickly bring the end to Henry’s plans of ‘two or three’ signings and it’s difficult to argue that would be enough to propel the Hammers to where they want to be.

Of course, West Ham will be wary not to go overboard in the summer window following a haul of nine new players last summer, where the Hammers struggled to get their new-look side to work following such a wealth of additions.

With Antonio, Lanzini and potentially Zabaleta, West Ham have the platform to build a successful side but in reality more than three players may be required, especially if the club are to boast the depth that’s needed to compete throughout the season.