Hammers in urgent market moves
But the lack of a new top class striker and the crucial injury to Aaron Cresswell are serious body blows with, maybe, some of the cash put aside for the front man, having to be redirected into the left back position.
After finishing seventh last term, just four points adrift of the top four, the effort to bridge the gap things are becomng becoming tougher and tougher.
Defeat in the first leg of their Europa Cup opener against Slovenian minnows Domezele is concetrating minds but the club have a shopping list of three for that left back role and despite much waiting, Carlos Bacca is still on the agenda
The club has Havard Nordveit and Sofiane Feghouli – who showed reasonably well on Thirsday night and the manager is not short of creative options.
Lanzini however, was injured ahead of the Rio Olympics and Tore, too, has taken a knock in training. The club are monitoring both closely.
Despite the problems, the Hammers continue to dream of emulating Leicester City’s feat of winning the top-flight crown for the first time, with the latest football betting odds backing them at 80/1.
Wewere one of the highest-scoring teams in the division last season, notching 65 strikes in their march towards joining Europe’s elite.
Dimitri Payet shined throughout as leading scorer with AC grabbing nine goals in the top flight.
As a result, Bilic seems determined to land a striker before the start of the new term to ease the pressure on the winger in the final third.
We were of course interested in Michy Batshuayi and lodged a bid to acquire the Belgium international from Marseille, but were beaten to his signature by Chelsea.
Missing out on Batshuayi has forced Billic to look elsewhere for his elusive frontman, and Carlos Bacca remains in the frame although once again we face competition to sign the Colombia international.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed a great deal of success since his move to Europe, thriving in his time with Club Brugge, Sevilla and Milan last season. Over the course of his career he has a record of notching a goal every other match, highlighting his quality in front of the net.
Those attributes will appeal massively to West Ham, given that they lack a real poacher inside the box as Carroll, Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho along with Payet are not prolific goalscorers.
Should Bacca complete his move to the Hammers, it would add another dimension to their play and give opposition defences plenty of problems dealing with the threat of the Colombian and Payet in the final third.
His arrival could spark a serious challenge for the top four, handing Bilic a similar potent duo to the one that went one step further and delivered the Premier League title for Leicester City in Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.
The Hammers will be anxious to get the deal over the line but it would be prudent for them to have alternative options and they continue to explore several.
Bilic and the Irons face an important final five weeks of the transfer window in order to make their dreams a reality.