Will little left to play for in the Premier League this season, thoughts in east London will quickly be turning to what West Ham can do over the coming summer to ensure they have a much easier ride of things next term.

Having moved from Upton Park to their new home in Stratford at the start of the season, the Hammers have endured a tough season with trouble on and off the pitch, especially in the early stages of the campaign.

Having recovered from that over the length of the season, the new surroundings at the London Stadium cannot be held up as an excuse for any under-performing next time out. However, one thing that could certainly cost Slaven Bilic for another season is their transfer failings.

Last summer a total of thirteen new signings were made by the east London club, some by Bilic some by the board. Of those thirteen, it can be argued that just two have thus far had a positive impact, namely Andre Ayew and Edimilson Fernandes.

Whilst the likes of Gokhan Tore have been laboured with long term injury issues and Arthur Masuaku and Jonathan Calleri are beginning to step up, last summer was an embarassment for a club supposedly stepping into a bright new era.

The major talking point last summer, and likely to be this year as well, was a big money move for a new main man up front. The solution last year was a loan deal for Simone Zaza, who left in January without a goal in 11 appearances, but this time the powers that be at West Ham must get it right.

The emergency of Andre Ayew in the last few weeks shows that leaving Carroll out could well be the best for everyone involved at the moment. A stagnant performance against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side showed as much, and with supposed interest from China, it may be wise for the club to consider freeing up a large chunk of the wage bill with the sale of the former Liverpool and Newcastle man.

The fast-paced, fluent, nature Ayew brings to the front-line suggests a move for someone similar could well be the trick ahead of next season. In the former Swansea man Bilic has someone who is more than comfortable in leading the line, however, to keep if fresh he needs to invest in another, someone to pick up the slack when there is a shift in form and vice versa.

With that in mind, the reported swoop for Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi could well be the move to make. The Belgium international has, in the limited time he’s had this season, shown his class and more than deserves a move to a big Premier League side where he will be playing week in, week out.

Selling Carroll could well fund any move for the Chelsea forward and, alongside some other canny additions further back, could well be the first step in realising this new era at the London Stadium.