After looking at the 2022/23 season stats, it can be easy for West Ham fans to despair a little. After all, world-class player Declan Rice won possession more than any other Premier League player while also making the most interceptions.
His impact in West Ham was huge. He played 245 games in all and scored a total of 15 goals. But 2023 saw the captain coming to the end of his contract, and West Ham ended up accepting Arsenal’s £100 million offer, plus £5 million in add-ons.
Despair Or Hope?
So that’s it. Declan Rice has gone, and West Ham is left without their best midfielder for years. But instead of despair the start of the season has been in brilliant form with the signings from which his transfer fee have been bought.
The £100m+ saw us bring in James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez as key players and both have been outstanding in their early starts.
The club had a mixed bag last season , winning the Europa Conference League but finishing 14th in the Premier League. Some of the best EPL games of the season featured West Ham losing – namely, the 4-3 loss to Crystal Palace in late April. Fresh talent saw them top of the Premier League after the Brighton win this season before slipping into second behind Man City.
The First Steps For West Ham
Mexican midfielder Edson Alvarez won the Dutch league twice with his previous club Ajax , and his success both at club level and internationally. The signing cost £35.4 million too, whilst former Saints skipper Ward-Prowse is believed to have cost £20 million odd. Another defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has also arrived and other names are very much in the frame, Brazilian striker Yuri Alberto among them. Jesse Lingard could also arrive but as a free agent.
Still securely in profit, the future for West Ham is looking good. For now, it seems like their efforts reside solely in finding the best players they can to start building momentum – but some of the Declan Rice money will likely go into club development as well. One thing is for sure, West Ham need to use the money wisely if they want to be truly rewarded for it. Football is a demanding sport, even off the field, so West Ham needs to use this money to their advantage in the 2023/24 season.
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