Premier League teams: West Ham have a new striker. But does he have a wide enough squad?

West Ham legend Mark Noble has retired. It will be the first time since the 2003/04 season that the Hammers will play a season without the English midfielder. West Ham battled to the spring for a top four finish, reached the Europa League semi-finals and proved that the sixth place finish from the 2020/21 season was no fluke.

The management team

David Moyes has undoubtedly repaired his reputation over the last few seasons and is certainly looking to build on his success in the coming season. Therefore, the coaching staff remains intact. Moyes is still assisted by Paul Nevin, Kevin Nolan, Billy McKinlay and Mark Warburton.

One of his biggest achievements has been the change in the club’s recruitment policy. Under his leadership, West Ham’s transfer strategy has improved significantly and he has created a team that can compete with the top six teams.

It is only a question whether West Ham will manage to reach the top four, but the Scottish strategist will do his best to do so.

Goalkeeper

In total, West Ham have four goalkeepers. The number one was Lukasz Fabianski last year, but we have seen Alphonse Areola more than once in the Europa League, who came on loan from PSG last year. Areola seems to have proved his worth as West Ham have decided to buy him permanently.

Two more experienced goalkeepers, Darren Randolph and Nathan Trott, remain in the midfield for a place between the sticks.

Defence

In the defensive line, the Hammers have plenty to choose from. There are five central defenders fighting for their position in the starting eleven. Last season, the pair of Zouma and Dawson played the most. Issa Diop has been a substitute in case of injury.

The biggest loser was Angelo Ogbonna, who was injured in the match against Liverpool in November. He didn’t play for nearly eight months because of this injury. During the summer break, West Ham bought Nayef Aguerd from Rennes, but he was injured in a friendly with Rangers.

On the flanks, Moyes has to rely on Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Creswell. Ben Johnson, who can play on both the right and the left, will cover their backs. He even made a couple of starts in the centre of defence in the Premier League last season.

According to the British media, the London club is still interested in Filip Kostic from Frankfurt.

Backup

Declan Rice, who looks better and better with each passing year, seems to be spending at least another year at the club. Perhaps every European big club has shown interest in the 23-year-old, but West Ham won’t just let him go.

Declan Rice has a place in the starting line-up, but the other defensive midfielder Tomas Soucek probably doesn’t. That’s because long-time Hammers fan Flynn Downes has arrived from Swansea, mainly to replace Noble, who has retired. A place in the wider squad is likely to go to Conor Coventry given West Ham’s refusal to buy Alex King.

David Moyes mostly uses a 4-2-3-1 formation with one offensive midfielder and two wingers. Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals rotate at number ten.

Attack

The Hammers now have a wide enough squad to rise to the challenge. In fact, the dream Gianluca Scamacca has arrived to finally offer Michail Antonio some support or competition up front. The third striker remains Nikola Vlasic.

The wings remain unchanged. Jarrod Bowen has had a great season in which he earned himself an invitation to the England national team. Said Benrahm got off to a good start, but has struggled for the rest of the season.

Burnley’s Maxwel Cornet should be the next winger.

Ideal line-up:

Areola
Coufal – Aguerd – Zouma – Cresswell
Soucek – Rice
Bowen – Fornals
Scamacca – Antonio

Positioning tip:: 6th place

Source: Transfermarkt