West Ham United have certainly caught the headlines this summer, with fans initially frustrated with a perceived lack of activity from the Hammers before Slaven Bilic’s side embarked on an impressive frenzy.
Pablo Zabaleta was signed early on in the window to boost West Ham’s back line but the main movers came many weeks later, as Bilic secured moves for Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez- adding a wealth of Premier League experience to his side.
It showed a major change in approach from last summer, where the Hammers’ scatter-gun approach in the transfer market led to numerous problems during the campaign, and Bilic can now reap the benefits of a more tactical summer window.
On paper at least, West Ham now have a side strong enough to challenge for the European spots and it’s now down to the players, and Slaven Bilic, to improve on the club’s fortunes and put the failures of last season behind them.
West Ham’s quartet of new signings cannot do that all on their own but they’ll certainly help and the Hammers now don’t have any areas in the squad that are crying out for major improvements- which means Bilic can now move for transfers that are perceived to be more risky.
The East London giants announced their fifth capture of the summer last night in the form of 18-year-old Montenegro international Sead Haksabanovic, with the young attacking midfielder joining for a fee reported to be around £2.7m.
It’s clear the youngster won’t be an immediate first-team feature at West Ham but will instead be developed behind the scenes, though tastes of first-team action could follow in the cup competitions. Crucially though, the signing will be well received by fans.
Had Haksabonovic arrived as one of West Ham’s first signings this summer, the fans would likely have been up in arms about the decision to sign a relatively unknown teenager ahead of strengthening key-areas of the side, but the fact they’ve already completed their biggest pieces of business this summer mean the atmosphere surrounding the teenager’s arrival will be far more comforting.
Manuel Lanzini will remain as the first-choice attacking midfield option at West Ham, assuming the Hammers fend off Liverpool’s advances, but Haksabonovic presents an alternative option for Bilic’s side and it means the club have a ready-made replacement for the Argentine, who’s unlikely to remain at the London Stadium in the long-term.