West Ham 2017/18 Premier League season preview: Can summer signings fire club back into the top half?

The Hammers are looking to bounce back after a difficult 2016/17 campaign

Things are looking up for West Ham (Getty)

What’s changed?

Compared to last season? Not that much — and that’s undoubtedly to West Ham’s advantage as they prepare for the 2017/18 campaign.

Despite a persistent rumble of discontent throughout pretty much the entirety of last season, Slaven Bilic had managed to hang onto his job and knows full well that another lacklustre year will not be tolerated. Getting off to a good start will be key, although difficult: the London Stadium is currently playing host to the World Athletics Championships, meaning the club will start their season with three straight away games.

Bilic will be aware that he won’t be able to use the move to Stratford as an excuse for a second successive season, though. Problems with the new stadium still remain — and it will surely take years before it begins to resemble a proper home — but last season’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur proved that when both the team and fans are on form, it’s an intimidating a ground as any.

The London Stadium came to life against Tottenham (Getty)

West Ham have also operated shrewdly in the transfer market. And unlike last year, it is the club’s incomings making the headlines.

Who’s in?

West Ham have had a fine transfer window. In a continuation of their newfound transfer policy to target players with Premier League experience, the club have added Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautović and Javier Hernández to their squad, for the combined price of £36m. Given the levels of transfer hyperinflation we have witnessed this summer, that represents good business.

Hernández is the most eye-catching arrival. A prolific goal scorer in the Premier League, Champions League and Bundesliga, Hernández’s arrival has boosted spirits at the club and offers Bilic genuine options up-front. The addition of England’s number one goalkeeper, initially on a loan move, is another smart signing.

Arnautović’s arrival — for a club-record fee of up to £25m — has proven rather more divisive among West Ham’s fan base. True, the 28-year-old can often go missing in matches, but on his day he is a force to be reckoned with.

There is certainly no doubting the physicality he will bring to Bilic’s front line. Last season, the likes of Sofiane Feghouli and Gökhan Töre were too frequently bullied off the ball. That will rarely be the case with Arnautović, and alongside Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll he could comprise an intimidatingly physical attack.

Arnautović has the potential to be a hit (Getty)

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Montenegrin international Sead Hakšabanović and 16-year-old Dutch prospect Anouar El Mhassani arrive from Halmstads and Ajax respectively, to strengthen a burgeoning youth setup. West Ham’s senior squad may be on the old side but some very talented youngsters are on the verge of breaking into the first team. Keep an eye on the young central defender Declan Rice, in particular.

Who’s out?

Ashley Fletcher moves to Middlesbrough for £6m, a year after West Ham picked him up from Manchester United on a free. During his spell at West Ham, he featured in 16 Premier League matches without hitting the back of the net once. Again, that’s smart business.

Darren Randolph also moves to the Riverside, following Hart’s arrival. The inconsistent Enner Valencia moves to Mexican outfit Tigres UANL and is no great loss, while young midfielder George Dobson joins Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam for an undisclosed fee.

Oxford has left the club on loan (Getty)

Töre returns to Besiktas and Jonathan Calleri returns to Deportivo Maldonado (but will play on loan for Las Palmas next season). Neither will be missed. Talented young defender Reece Oxford joins Borussia Mönchengladbach on a season-long loan, in an eye-catching move.

How will they line up?

West Ham have one of the larger squads in the league, so it’s difficult to second guess which eleven players Bilic is going to settle on. But on paper at least, their strongest XI arguably looks a lot like this:

(4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Aaron Cresswell, Winston Reid, Jose Fonte, Pablo Zabaleta; Mark Noble (C), Cheikhou Kouyaté; Marko Arnautovic, Manuel Lanzini, Michail Antonio; Javier Hernández.

That would leave the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Pedro Obiang, Andy Carroll and André Ayew on the bench, illustrating West Ham’s newfound strength in depth.

Will Carroll slot back into the first-team when he returns from injury? (Getty)

What’s the one big question that must be answered?

Is their defence up to scratch?

Going forward, West Ham have options, and they should be able to improve on last season’s meagre return of 47 league goals. But they still look brittle defensively. Only five teams conceded more goals than them last season, with Fonte particularly disappointing after his £8m move from Southampton.

Fonte needs to improve (Getty)

Reid is arguably the club’s best player but is worryingly injury-prone, and the club will struggle if he is ruled out for an extended period of time. Cult hero James Collins made some high-profile mistakes last season and the jury is still out on Angelo Ogbonna — although he deserves credit for playing through the pain barrier with a knee injury last season.

What’s the best that could happen?

If Reid stays fit and Hernández and Arnautović start banging in the goals, there is no reason why West Ham can not replicate their 7th-place finish during Bilic’s first season at the club.

What’s the worst that could happen?

West Ham have a maddening tendency to shoot themselves in the foot, so relegation will always be feared. But it’s incredibly unlikely. Realistically, this side is unlikely to do any worse than last season’s underwhelming 11th-place finish. If that was to happen, Bilic would likely lose his job.