Football Season Guide

West Ham were disappointing last season, flirting with relegation and never appearing comfortable whether it was under Bilic, or Moyes. In the summer the club sought to turn over a new leaf bringing in the vastly experienced Manuel Pellegrini. Three new defenders and a goalkeeper have been signed in Fabianski, Fredericks, Diop and Balbuena. All are potential starters. Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez come into midfield. Wingers Anderson and Yarmolenko will play on each side of Arnautovic which makes West Ham’s attack look really lethal. Perez was brought in from Arsenal as an alternative up front. This season West Ham have strength in depth with coverage in most roles. Lanzini, Snodgrass and Hernandez are 3 quality squad players who can act as high impact substitutes. Injuries are a potential weakness. The conditions of Winston Reid, Aaron Cresswell, Sam Byram, Jack Wilshere, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll will have to be managed smartly during the campaign. It will be a surprise if the majority of them don’t spend periods of the season out with injury. Six of the newly signed players are expected to be regular starters and a difficult opening ten fixtures could mean early results do not go their way. That said, the view is that Pellegrini is building a solid squad for the long-term.