West Ham are set for a major restructure this summer but as of yet their only recruit is Pablo Zabaleta on a free transfer from Manchester City, with the majority of the Hammers’ movements thus far coming internally.
Slaven Bilic’s side have secured the services of key-players like Michail Antonio for the future but significant investments need to be made for the Hammers to push forward with the lofty ambitions they brought with them to the London Stadium.
The need for recruits is clear and West Ham captain Mark Noble, who’s currently working on his recovery from an injury, has spoken about the business the Hammers need. Speaking to Sky Sports, the midfielder said:
“I think we need to get a few in. I’m sure the chairman is working tirelessly to get them in but this market is so hard. Players are so expensive now and you get priced out. We’re competing with so many other teams to get the players we want.”
Speaking about the addition of Zabaleta, the skipper added:
“He’s an all-round good fella. It’s going to be a change for him because he’s used to having the ball for 70 or 80 per cent of the game. I’ve spoken to him on text already and he’s really keen to meet the lads in pre-season.”
Noble required surgery on a hernia problem in the latter end of the season, which saw him miss the back-end of the season, and he’s set to be a crucial player for the Hammers once again next season when he returns from injury.
As it stands, West Ham’s squad is not yet up to the challenge of fighting their way through the Premier League table and battling towards European football- a target which the club dreams of but is short of reaching just yet.
Targets linked with a move to East London include strikers Olivier Giroud, Kelechi Iheanacho, Michy Batshuayi and Max Kruse, whilst other targets include Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart- all of whom would be significant additions.
New strikers need to be the priority given West Ham’s struggles in this area last season but so far all the talking has resulted in much response, which means the Hammers need to make their moves swiftly before the pre-season campaign commences next month.