This afternoon, Nuno Espírito Santo takes his West Ham squad north to face Glasgow Rangers in what is unquestionably their toughest pre‑season test so far. With no new signings through the door and the team still being described as “unbalanced,” Nuno arrives at Ibrox with a group that is clearly in transition.
And while today’s line‑up may feel incomplete, this isn’t the first time the Hammers have stepped into the noise and intensity of Ibrox.
Only two remain from the visit to Ibrox four years ago
West Ham last visited in 2022, suffering a 3–1 defeat, and what stands out most from that afternoon is just how dramatically the squad has changed since. Four years on, only Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen remain from that team, the rest have moved on, retired, or taken their careers in entirely new directions.
Fabianski – latest West Ham medal winner to announce his retirement
In goal that day was Łukasz Fabiański, who has since announced his retirement from football. The right‑back duties were shared by Ben Johnson and Vladimír Coufal, both of whom have departed. Johnson now plays for Ipswich Town, while Coufal made the switch to TSG Hoffenheim. Central defence featured Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd and Issa Diop. Aguerd now at Marseille, picked up an injury that afternoon, something that became a frustrating theme throughout his West Ham career. Diop, aged 29, signed for Ipswich Town just days ago and even represented Morocco at the World Cup after making his international debut in March. Kurt Zouma recently joined Palm City in UAE, his fourth club since leaving West Ham.
On the left side of defence, Aaron Cresswell started, now into his second season at Stoke City and potentially set to face West Ham in the Championship next year. Up front, academy striker Divin Mubama led the line, who is a team mate of Creswell at the Potters.
The midfield from that 2022 match has also dispersed. Declan Rice finally secured his elusive Premier League winners’ medal at Arsenal last season, while Flynn Downes is at Southampton. Conor Coventry plays for Charlton Athletic, who West Ham will meet in their first league game at the London Stadium
Further forward, Pablo Fornals has been earning rave reviews for Real Betis, rediscovering his creativity in Spain. Saïd Benrahma is playing in Saudi Arabia for Neom, where he contributed ten goals and seven assists last season. Nikola Vlašić, who featured for Croatia at the World Cup, is now at Torino, continuing his career in Serie A. While Manuel Lanzini returned to Argentina, currently at Velez Sarsfield having spent two years at his boyhood club River Plate.
And finally, Michail Antonio, once the heartbeat of West Ham’s attack is currently without a club. Now 36, he made four appearances for Al‑Sailiya during a short two‑month injury‑cover contract.
Four years on from that defeat, West Ham return to Ibrox with a different manager, a reshaped squad, and a very different identity, as a Championship team. The faces have changed, the careers have diverged, and only Souček and Bowen remain as reminders of that afternoon. Today’s trip marks a snapshot of how far the club has changed and how much further it still needs to go.