A year ago, West Ham went into the summer window in need of a revamp, with Mark Noble’s retirement headline among a significant dressing room overhaul.
Eight summer signings plus that of Danny Ings in January did not quite do the trick, however, with several of the new boys yet to flourish and the club’s hierarchy will be desperate to avoid similar blunders.
Top priority
A midfield revamp will be necessitated by the expected departure of Declan Rice, who is Arsenal’s No1 transfer target.
The Hammers hope that a fee of around £100million will boost the coffers but replacing Rice is unlikely to be a one-man job, particularly as David Moyes has probably been getting by a central midfielder light all season, with Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta and Flynn Downes the only current options likely to be around at the start of the new campaign.
The good news is that Paqueta is now looking like the player West Ham thought they were signing in a club-record deal last summer and can be the centrepiece of a new-look midfield.
What else they need
Full-back has remained a problem position all season, with Vladimir Coufal, Thilo Kehrer, Aaron Cresswell, Ben Johnson and Emerson Palmieri all failing to produce anything like a consistent campaign.
Another centre-back may be targeted, too, given Craig Dawson was not replaced in January and both Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd have been injury-prone, while Angelo Ogbonna is ageing (and yet to agree a new deal).
Further forward, though, additions are likely to depend on outgoings, particularly at centre-forward, where the signings of Ings and Gianluca Scamacca have done little so far to resolve a long-standing issue.
Possible ins
Moyes has suggested he will target players with proven Premier League experience this summer, having been frustrated by the time taken for last year’s major signings from overseas to adapt to English football.
James Ward-Prowse is a firm midfield target following Southampton’s relegation, while the club are also monitoring Kalvin Phillips and Conor Gallagher’s situations at their respective clubs.
Harvey Barnes has been linked to the Hammers, the Englishman likely to be part of an exodus at relegated Leicester.
Possible outs
West Ham’s squad is, numerically at least, well-stocked and a number of sales will be needed to make space for any new arrivals, particularly if the club do not beat Fiorentina in next month’s Europa Conference League final to secure another season in Europe.
As well as Rice’s planned departure, Manuel Lanzini is set to leave the club at the end of his contract. Ogbonna and Lukasz Fabianski also have expiring deals, though both appear likely to extend their stays.
There is concern that Scamacca could be tempted by a move back to Italy, having struggled to settle in the UK.
