West Ham have enjoyed a successful summer and fans will certainly be excited for the return of Premier League football, as the additions of Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic will have significantly raised expectations.

The Hammers endured a wealth of problems during their inaugural season at the London Stadium and flirted with relegation during the campaign, far below their pre-season expectations of fighting for a spot in European competitions.

Slaven Bilic’s newly-strengthened squad will be eyeing a return to the continental stage in the next year but a very fierce battle lies ahead of them, as the Hammers will have to cope with the Premier League’s established top-six as well as the likes of Everton, Southampton and Stoke City.

The key for West Ham now is to adapt to the transfer market; ensuring they don’t sell anybody if they don’t want to and making further moves for the right signings if the opportunity arrives, not buying just for the sake of it.

Whilst fans will be keen to see more names brought in, the most crucial aspect for the Hammers is keeping the core of their squad intact- and that means rejecting any approach from Everton for the services of New Zealand defender Winston Reid.

The Daily Mail states Toffees boss Ronald Koeman is keen to continue his busy summer by making a £9m move for 29-year-old Reid, as he wants competition in defence ahead of the club’s venture into the Europa League.

Whilst Reid may have his head turned by the opportunity of playing on the European stage, West Ham cannot afford to lose their starring international centre-back, especially as the side interested are one of the biggest rivals the Hammers will face this season.

If West Ham are to return to Europe, then beating Everton in the standings will be crucial- and selling Reid to the Toffees would certainly send the wrong message across to the Premier League and their fans in particular.

Should West Ham lose a player like Reid, their ranks would be severely depleted and it wouldn’t be easy to go into the market and find a top-class replacement- especially as he knows the East London side well, having spent seven years in the capital.