West Ham struggled in their debut season at the London Stadium last term, with the Hammers failing to make their new stadium feel like home and seeing their performances on-field suffer as a result. Amidst all this, the Hammers lost star-man Dimitri Payet in January and saw the majority of their summer signings from 12 months ago flop.
That led to a crucial close-season for the Hammers this term, where Slaven Bilic’s side have been a lot more mature in the market, bringing in just Pablo Zabaleta on a free transfer from Manchester City thus far, whilst eyeing a few further names to improve their side. However, their most important business has certainly been internally.
West Ham quickly sorted out the situation of manager Slaven Bilic prior to the transfer window, which was crucial in providing the club stability, and a new contract for top-scorer Michail Antonio was quickly secured amidst growing interest in the England ace from Premier League rivals. Now, a similar deal is also edging closer for another crucial West Ham man.
Argentine ace Manuel Lanzini is another player who’s seen his name linked with other sides in the Premier League, including London rivals Arsenal, but West Ham are determined to retain the services of their starring South American- and it’s a move that signals a major statement of intent from West Ham.
The Hammers made it clear they had lofty ambitions following their move to the London Stadium and ensuring they don’t lose key players, particularly to Premier League rivals, enforces the belief in East London that big things are on the horizon- and they don’t want to set a precedent by allowing key-players to leave.
Of course, the Hammers will find it difficult to retain the services of Antonio, Lanzini and other star-players in the coming years but West Ham’s movements ensure that any departure will be on their terms, rather than seeing players force through an exit in the same fashion that Payet did in January.
The reality is that Lanzini may not be a West Ham player for the start of the 2018/19 season, particularly if he impresses in the World Cup next summer, but a fresh deal gives the Hammers a stronger negotiating position that will allow them to get a larger fee for the Argentine’s services, which can then be invested in new blood to help the Hammers push towards their lofty targets.